Into the Psyche
by Black Raider
Summary: A world where vehicles and humans live in harmony. Where there are humans and vehicles who can connect their very souls. Join me as we journey into the psyche and hear the stories of these unique creatures. Edited and re-uploaded!
1. C: The Story of Harley

**A/N: I am so sorry you guys! I had been meaning to edit this story for a while, and then I accidentally deleted it entirely. Such a foolish mistake on my part. I'm reuploading the chapters as I edit them! Enjoy! (again)**

 **Story summary: Meet Harley Hudson, the adoptive daughter of the Hudson Hornet. She was born and raised in Radiator Springs, and knows only a quiet town with quirky residents who love her. Then comes this newcomer: a red stock car named Lightning McQueen. Harley isn't sure what to make of him, especially since he seems to irritate Doc to no end. While Harley wants only to keep her family happy, she will learn that there is room in her heart for one more to become part of her life.**

* * *

 **The Junior Hornet**

Chapter One: The Story of Harley

The living room was dark, with only the light of the moon coming through the window to allow any sight. The smell of alcohol that splashed against his tires made him want to gag, but his focus remained on the situation at hand. Off to one side, a woman stood cradling a large comforter in her arms as she stared fearfully between the police car and her husband. Tequila dripped down the walls like some sick foreshadowing of the bloodbath soon to come. Cerulean eyes flickered down to the several blocks of C4 on the ground at the man's feet, and for a moment the police car wondered where on earth it could've come from. But he quickly resumed staring into the dark blue eyes of the human man before him.

"Do you have _any_ idea what you're thinking of doin', John?" the police car demanded in his usual gruff, Southern drawl.

John chuckled darkly, fingering the detonator he held in one hand. "You know, Sheriff, I've been thinking of this for a long time. I think I know _exactly_ what I'm doing."

Sheriff narrowed his eyes, tense on his axles. "You don't want to do this. You do this, you'll destroy everything good in your life."

"Why do you think I'm taking everything with me?" John scoffed. "I'm not a bad man, Sheriff. I love my wife to death." He chuckled, the sound coming out far too eerie for Sheriff's liking. "And just so I'm not leaving any loose ends, I'll get rid of the little beast that came out of her."

"John, let us help you." Sheriff half-pleaded, keeping his voice steady.

John glared. "Help me? You could never help me. So I'm going to help myself." He held up the detonator, hovering his thumb over the button.

Sheriff tensed up, panic momentarily sweeping over him. The human woman took a step back. Sheriff kept his body prepared to move but still calm. "John, don't do this. Please."

The human man shook his head, his mud-colored hair hanging in his eyes. "You're gonna die here, Sheriff. See you in hell."

The woman turned and threw her comforter to one side.

John pressed the button.

Sheriff managed to reverse a split-second before the bomb went off, ducking behind a corner just as flames enveloped the house and a resounding _BOOM_ rang out, shattering the windows and nearly destroying the Mercury's hearing. Sheriff, dazed, could only wearily blink his eyes open as his senses slowly recovered from the sudden assault. Seeing flames around him, Sheriff felt adrenaline kick in and he moved back out to the living room. John was gone, but Sheriff could see a blackened form already being devoured by the fire. Dark liquid stained the wall nearby, making Sheriff's stomach churn. He coughed harshly from the smoke.

"Paula!" Sheriff called, coughing again. "Paula, where are you?" Coughing caught his attention, only this time it wasn't his own. Carefully driving through clear areas not already on fire, Sheriff finally saw the human woman on the ground nearby. He hurried over, gently nudging her to her back with a tire. But he recoiled in horror to see the woman's clothes and much of her skin blackened along with large shards of glass in her chest and neck. She gasped and coughed, blood dribbling from her mouth. Ash made her light brunette hair look black. She stared at Sheriff with tear-filled hazel eyes. Sheriff nudged her gently. "Just hold on, Paula. Don't move, I'll get you out of here."

But Paula suddenly coughed again, more blood coming out, and Sheriff knew at once that she would never make it. Paula could feel her strength dwindling, and she swore the voices of her father and mother called for her. But she gathered the rest of her strength and pointed towards the couch, making sure Sheriff followed her point.

"H-Harley…" Paula whispered with her final breath, her arm falling limp as she succumbed to her wounds.

Sheriff, despite things he's seen in the past, couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow at the sight of Paula dead. But confusion overtook him at Paula's last gesture and word. It only lasted a moment before what Paula meant clicked in his mind, and he hurriedly moved to the couch and pushed it aside. Sure enough, the comforter Paula once held rested behind the couch, where the force of the blow from the bomb couldn't reach. Unconscious on the comforter rested a little girl, no older than four years old. Sheriff heard something crash in the flames, and he knew he had to work quickly. Grabbing the thick blanket in his teeth, he began backing up and towards the door with the girl in tow.

"Right up there, Red!" Doc shouted as the fire truck pumped water onto the burning house. "That's it, try and get it under control. There ya go!"

The rest of the Radiator Springs' residents stood a safe distance from the burning house, but close enough to see what was happening. Mater stared at the front door, remembering Sheriff's final words to him before speeding inside. _Get Doc and Red. Things are going to get rough, but whatever you do,_ do not _come after me._ Only now, Mater wished he had. Fear gripped his engine, his eyes wide. But relief washed over him when he saw the flash of Sheriff's lights.

"Doc! Sheriff's comin' out!" Mater shouted.

Doc noticed the police car, and thankfully so did Red. The fire truck aimed his hose at the front door, soaking it down to give Sheriff a clear shot outside. The water drenched Sheriff and rained down on his precious cargo, but allowed him to get out safely so Red could resume his efforts on the rest of the house. He became less desperate, sending a clear message to everyone that he had it under control. The residents gave collective sighs. For a quiet fella, Red certainly knew how to do his job.

Sheriff finally got across the street and released the comforter, coughing a bit as the fresh, clean night air rushed into his lungs. He stared worriedly at the 4-year-old girl on the blanket, gingerly brushing her brunette locks, the same color as Mater's rust, from her face. Finally, the girl coughed and her eyes scrunched up before blinking open, revealing crystal blue irises that, oddly enough, were exactly the same color as Doc's eyes.

The girl looked around for a moment before settling on Sheriff's grill. "Sh-Sheriff? Is that you?"

Sheriff moved so she could better see his eyes, and he smiled. "Right here, kiddo. You're gonna be okay." The girl nodded aimlessly, still a little confused, and began pushing herself upright.

"Sheriff!" Doc called as he drove over. The other residents moved a little closer, but made sure Doc, Sheriff, and the girl had their space. Doc looked back and forth between Sheriff and the girl, assessing both for injuries. "You two all right?"

"We're a little roasted, but fine." Sheriff chuckled.

Doc rolled his eyes a little. But he suddenly noticed something. He stared at Sheriff. "Where are John and Paula?" Sheriff's face fell. He looked down, shaking his hood. Doc closed his eyes, allowing the full weight of the news to set in. The rest of the Radiator Springs' residents either lowered their hoods in mourning or stared sadly at the little girl still sitting on the comforter. The human child was more alert now, staring at everyone with confusion and a hint of fear.

The girl looked to the police car beside her. "Sheriff? Where's Mommy and Daddy?"

Sheriff looked to Doc, who finally opened his eyes and nodded. Sheriff moved to the girl and sighed. "Harley, your parents can't be here anymore. They're gone."

The girl, Harley, was only four years old. But she could understand what Sheriff meant. She stared at her house, now reduced to a blackened building as Red smothered the last of the flames. Tears built up in her eyes and Harley curled into a ball, beginning to cry. Everyone stared at her sadly, mourning as she did now.

But not Doc. He immediately moved closer to Harley and nuzzled her gently. The girl immediately climbed to her knees and hugged his tire, the only thing she could get her arms around. She sobbed into him, but soon began to quiet down as his soothing yet gravelly voice shushed her and spoke words of comfort. Finally, she managed to sit back on her ankles and wipe her eyes dry, her cheek smeared with a little dirt from hugging Doc's tire.

"Harley, are you listening to me?" Doc asked gently. Harley only nodded. "Harley, you don't have to be afraid, all right? You will _always_ have a family in Radiator Springs. You know that."

Harley sniffled. "Yeah, I know."

"And nothing is going to change that." Doc assured. "I promise, you're going to be all right. We're going to take care of you. I'mgoing to personally make sure of that."

Harley looked up to Doc, her crystal blue eyes sparkling a little despite being a bit red. "Promise? Cross your engine?"

"You bet, kiddo." Doc nodded with a smile. "Cross my engine and hope to stall."

Harley giggled a little, a smile forming on her lips.

* * *

 _EIGHT YEARS LATER_

Harley gasped deeply as she bolted upright in her bed, panting heavily. Her wild, crystal blue eyes darted around everywhere before she realized she was at home, safe in her bed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing her heart rate to slow down.

"Harley?"

The brunette jumped a bit as her surrogate father rolled into the room, looking concerned. "Hey Doc. Good morning."

"Good morning." Doc greeted his daughter. "You all right? I heard you scream."

 _Great. I must've screamed while I was still asleep._ Harley put on a smile, swinging her legs around to dangle them over the side of her lofted bed. "I'm fine, Doc. Just another nightmare."

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Doc asked.

Harley shrugged, grabbing her dark blue eyeglasses from the nightstand. "It was actually about a fire."

Doc looked down. "I see." Not just a fire. _The_ fire.

Harley adjusted her glasses, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What ever happened that night? I mean, how could a fire start like that?"

Doc looked to his daughter with a small smile. "You'll understand when you're older."

Harley smirked. "You keep telling me that. I bet I'm gonna be real smart when I'm grown up."

Doc chuckled. "I bet you will. Now up and at 'em. We're meeting everyone at Flo's for breakfast, remember?"

"I know, I'm up!" Harley laughed, jumping down from her bed as Doc rolled from the room. She moved to her bathroom nearby and began brushing her short, shoulder-length hair, taking note of its Mater-class rust coloring with the cobalt blue streaks. Pinning back some loose hair on the left side of her head with a red barrette, she began wiping her face clean with a wet washcloth. Her skin had a slight tan from growing up in the desert environment, but it wasn't nearly dark enough to hide the dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Once she finished brushing her teeth, she set her glasses back on her face and winked her crystal blue eyes playfully. Giggling, Harley skipped from her bathroom to change out of her pajamas. Tossing the sleepwear onto her bed, she pulled on a pair of denim shorts and a yellow T-shirt with the number 51 outlined in blue on the front and a cartoon picture of a hornet on the right sleeve. Humming to herself, Harley pulled her roller skates out from under her bed and strapped them on, rolling the tiny tire wheels with her hand to make sure they weren't sticking. Satisfied, the adoptive daughter of the Hudson Hornet skated out the door to meet Doc outside. The two of them rolled over to Flo's, where the rest of the residents waited.

"Good mornin', Doc! Mornin' Miss Harley!" Mater greeted, followed by everyone else's warm welcome.

"Good morning, everyone!" Harley greeted. _"Buongiorno, Guido!"_

" _Buongiorno!"_ Guido waved a fork.

"And-a how are the-a skates, _piccolo_?" Luigi asked.

"Working perfectly, per the usual." Harley confirmed, ever thankful Guido and Luigi made the modified roller skates for her.

"Here ya go, honey." Flo said, coming by with a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal for the girl. "Fresh outta the pot!"

"Thanks, Flo." Harley said, immediately scooping up a spoonful and blowing on it to eat.

"So Sissy, I was thinkin' we could go fer a drive tuhday!" Mater said, looking to Harley.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" Harley agreed, smiling at Mater's nickname for his unofficial surrogate sister.

"No tractor tippin'." Sheriff said as he rolled in.

"Aww." Mater and Harley pouted.

"Fine, jus' a drive." Mater sighed. "C'mon, Harley!"

Harley nodded happily, hurriedly scooping the last of her oatmeal into her mouth and giving her bowl to Flo. She skated over to Doc and hugged his hood. "Bye Daddy! See you later!"

Doc nuzzled the girl. "See ya around, kiddo." Harley skated off, grabbing Mater's tow hook and letting him drag her down the road.

Radiator Springs. A gem on the Mother Road of Route 66. A small town, from its humble beginnings to the present day. Not that it bothered any of the residents. They took small-town community to a whole new level that was unmatched by any other town in the entire United States, maybe even the world. They didn't feel like just neighbors or friends; they were a family. They were a family that stuck together through thick and thin, no matter what arguments arose or what the world threw at them. Lack of customers due to the Interstate aside, Harley couldn't find a single problem with her home. Sure, she was the only human in the entire town and her family was made up of vehicles, but she never found a problem with it before and she probably never would. How could she? Her father was Doc Hudson, Mater and Red were like brothers to her, and the rest of the town were her aunts and uncles (with the exception of Lizzie, who acted more like a grandmother to Harley).

Harley took a deep breath, leaning her head back so the warm summer air pathed her face. She pulled on Mater's tow cable until she could climb into the back of the tow truck, perfectly balanced on her skates so she didn't roll into anything. Mater chuckled as Harley climbed up to his roof, sitting up cross-legged on top of him. "Hey Mater?"

"Yeah?" Mater asked.

"You know I love you, right?" Harley said with a smile.

"Love you too, lil' sis." Mater said with an equally happy smile. "What done brought dis up?"

Harley shrugged. "I guess I'm just thinking about how my life is now. Sometimes it feels weird to not have my parents around. But I'm so happy to have you and Doc and everybody in town as my family."

Mater nodded, sadly thinking back to the night Harley became an orphan. But he couldn't stay sad for long; Harley was right, after all. The entire town made sure she was well taken care of, even when it was Doc who formally adopted her as his daughter. "Well we all love ya, Harley. Don't ya ever ferget dat."

"Never." Harley promised. She patted Mater's roof lovingly, still smiling. Mater, smirking craftily, suddenly jerked around and bounced a bit, forcing Harley to hang on tightly as she laughed crazily. Mater laughed with her, almost forgetting the human girl wasn't even the same species as him.

The two ended up spending the rest of the day together, driving down to the sign where Sheriff kept his post before turning around again and talking the entire time. Reaching town, the residents greeted them warmly as they passed. Harley skated about, not minding the slight bumps in the old road of Main Street. When Mater finally brought up how bored he was, Harley hurried home and returned with her soccer ball. A game began between the tow truck and the human, quickly joined by the rest of the residents except for Lizzie, Doc, and Sheriff. The residents used the entire main street as their field, declaring the goals to be beyond Stanley's statue and past Flo's café. Harley was the only unfair advantage, being able to weave between her vehicular family members and leap over their hoods.

The game came to an abrupt halt when Luigi suddenly swerved and went careening into Ramone's shop. Everyone outside winced at the sound of a crash, and then jumped when Luigi let out a shrill scream of pain. They all hurried into the shop to discover Luigi moaning in despair along with one of Ramone's lit torches nearby. Ramone hurriedly grabbed the torch and turned it off while Guido rushed to his friend's side, crying out in Italian.

"Oh Guido!" Luigi cried. "The pain, Guido! I think-a I am-a dying!"

Harley came up to Luigi and rolled her eyes. "Luigi, calm down! It's just a minor burn."

Luigi stopped crying. "Oh."

Everyone laughed lightly as Guido helped Luigi back on his tires. Still, the sight of the warped paint and blackened mark on Luigi's side made some of them wince. "Minor it may be, but we'd better get ya down to Doc's." Sarge suggested.

"I can fix it!" Harley assured.

"Oh-a no, _piccolo_." Luigi shook his hood. "You do not-a have to do that."

"There's no need to bother Dad with something so small." Harley shrugged, rolling closer to Luigi and kneeling down towards the burned area.

"Won' it hurt?" Mater asked nervously.

Harley still smiled. "Just a little. Like taking off a Band-Aid." Nobody could find a reason to argue anymore, allowing Harley to proceed. She placed a hand on Luigi's side, to the left of the burn, and closed her eyes in focus. When she opened her eyes again, the crystal blue of her irises turned snow-white. Everyone watched in awe as Harley put her free hand to her side, where another burn appeared under her shirt, before both burns disappeared in mere seconds. Harley's eyes reverted back to their crystal blue, and she smiled warmly at Luigi.

" _Grazie, piccolo."_ Luigi said thankfully.

"The joys of being a psyche human, right Harley?" Fillmore said with a wink.

Harley laughed. "It certainly has its perks. Now let's get back to the game!"

To be a psyche human was very special indeed. At least Harley thought so. Psyche humans, or psych-mans as they are commonly referred to, are humans who are able to connect their consciousness, physical strength, and even their very soul to the engines and minds of machines. It wasn't exactly a rare occurrence, but it also didn't happen very often; only 1 in every 1000 humans are born with the abilities of a psyche human. These abilities allow them to do various things, such as peer into the memories of vehicles or give them strength when they don't have enough. Most of these humans develop certain powers, such as enhanced physical skills, healing abilities, and mind reading. Harley found she had a greatest talent for healing, which somehow seemed to make sense given Doc was her father. She always tried to use her abilities to help others, especially her family members. But in order to heal a vehicle, the psyche human receives the same injury in order for the healing to carry over. Thankfully, Harley was brave enough to practice her powers and developed a higher pain tolerance.

Still, it sometimes worried Doc when Harley used her powers. Serious injuries could only be partially healed by psyche humans, and on occasion attempts to fully heal these wounds result in the injury of the psyche human. So when Harley joined Doc at Flo's for dinner that night, he asked her at least a dozen times if she was all right.

"For the last time, yes I'm fine." Harley assured, laughing despite Doc's serious look.

"I just want to make sure." Doc said. "You overdo it, you could be hurt real bad. This is one of those times when you have to know your limits and stick to them, okay?"

"Okay." Harley nodded, taking another bite of her grilled cheese sandwich. She and Doc returned home later that evening, Harley changing into her pajamas and plopping down on the ground and turning on the TV. She flipped through the channels a bit before finding the RSN station at the Dinoco 400 for the Piston Cup. Interested, Harley settled down to watch. "Hey Doc! I'm watching the Piston Cup race! You wanna join me?"

"I'd rather eat my own tires!" Doc called from the kitchen.

Harley rolled her eyes with a laugh. "A simple 'no, thank you' would've sufficed." She resumed her watch on the TV, listening to the announcers. But she didn't get very far before Doc rolled in and switched the channel. "Doc!" Harley whined.

"Watch anything you want, but not _that_." Doc said sternly.

Harley blinked in surprise, but didn't speak for a moment. Then she smiled and settled down to watch the movie playing on TV. "That's okay. They're not even showing my favorite racecar, so I don't care." She nudged Doc playfully, giggling. Doc cast her a look, but smiled softly and settled down to watch the movie with her. Harley tugged on her T-shirt a little, staring at the hornet picture on her sleeve. If she stared at Doc long enough, she could practically see his old racing stickers. Nobody in town knew about Doc's past as a racer except for Harley. She discovered Doc's old garage behind his clinic when she was seven, and at first she was overjoyed. But Doc was adamant about her not telling anyone. After asking almost a thousand times why, Doc revealed the full story about his crash and being forced to retire. Finally understanding, Harley agreed to keep it between them. But that didn't stop her from finding an old T-shirt design store in town and creating the yellow shirt she still wore to this day. It became her signature look, and only Doc understood the true meaning behind the piece of clothing.

It was their little secret.

The movie finished an hour and a half later, and Doc yawned a bit as he shut off the TV. "All right, little missy. It is way past your bedtime."

Harley sighed. "Okay, okay." She stood and rolled off to her room, pulling off her skates and lowering her bed down to climb in.

"You brush your teeth?" Doc asked.

"Yeah." Harley nodded.

"Let me smell." Doc said. Harley rolled her eyes but exhaled towards Doc's grill. The former racecar sighed. "Minty fresh. Atta girl."

"Did _you_ brush _your_ teeth?" Harley asked.

Doc put on an innocent look. "Maybe….."

"Let me smell." Harley said. Doc smirked and let out a large exhale into Harley's face. The girl's nose scrunched up and she started gagging. "Oh! Yuck! You did _not_ brush your teeth!"

"I'm too busy tucking you in!" Doc laughed, nuzzling Harley's stomach and making her laugh. Doc laughed along with her, pulling back and pressing a button to raise her bed up again.

Harley pulled her blanket up over her and snuggled down into bed, setting her glasses on the nightstand and turning to face Doc. She smiled warmly, giving Doc a quick kiss on his hood. "Love you, Doc."

"Love you too, Harley." Doc said. "Sleep well." He rolled out of the room, shutting off the lights as he went.

* * *

 **A/N: Italian translations should be simple enough. "Good morning" and "Thank you" and "piccolo" means "small."**

 **So I hope the whole psyche human thing makes sense. It's just something that came to me watching** _ **Planes**_ **and I thought why leave out the** _ **Cars**_ **movies? So this story will include a couple OCs of mine in both** _ **Cars**_ **movies and** _ **Planes**_ **movies, and I'll put it all in one big story for easy access.**

 **Read and review! Thanks!**


	2. C: Anniversary

Chapter Two: Anniversary

Doc never needed an alarm clock. He naturally woke up at the exact same time every day unless he had been awake literally the entire night before. Being a doctor meant sometimes you would be called any time of the day or night. This made Doc a bit of a light sleeper.

Even if he wasn't, nothing could stop Harley's scream from waking him.

"Harley?" Doc called, speeding through his home to reach his daughter's room. The girl's screams echoed throughout the house and even the clinic. "Harley!" Doc shouted, shoving the bedroom door open and discovering Harley writhing around in her bed as though she were in pain. Doc shot over just as Harley rolled off the bed, catching the 12-year-old on his hood. She still twisted around like something electrocuted her. "Harley! Harley, wake up!"

Harley's eyes flew open, and she froze. Her breathing became labored, borderline hyperventilating. But when her crystal blue eyes locked onto Doc's, she calmed within seconds. She swallowed hard. "Hey Daddy."

Doc finally calmed down when he realized Harley wasn't freaking out anymore. "Hey there, sweetheart. You all right?"

Harley knew from past experience it was near-impossible to lie to Paul "Doc" Hudson. She sighed. "All I saw…was fire…and I heard…. _screaming_ ….nothing but screaming….I don't know…if it was me or someone else…" The girl trembled now, blinking furiously to keep her tears at bay.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Doc said soothingly. But Harley kept shaking, clearly terrified of what she saw in her nightmare. Doc smiled nonetheless. "Hey, you want to stay with me tonight? Spend the rest of the night in my room?" Harley only nodded, clearly not keen on getting off Doc's hood anytime soon. Doc drove off to his room, keeping Harley on his hood and speaking words of comfort. Harley stayed curled up on the cobalt Hornet, gradually winding down and eventually falling asleep again. Doc caught sight of the clock: 1:12 in the morning. Above that rested a calendar, and Doc froze.

Today was the anniversary of the fire.

Doc sighed, settling down on his bed to sleep. _I should've known._ Harley somehow got the worst nightmares the night before the fire's anniversary. Nobody knew why; Doc guessed it was a PTSD thing. But Harley never let it bother her; at least, she made it look like that. So Doc was only mildly surprised when he woke up the next morning and found Harley gone. Yawning a bit, he drove out to discover the girl already at Flo's, chatting happily with the other residents and not looking at all like she just had a terrible nightmare.

"Mornin' folks." Doc greeted. The residents greeted their doctor and judge warmly.

Harley only had a few more bites of oatmeal to go before giving her bowl to Flo. "Come on, Mater! You owe me a ride out to Willie's Butte for losing the soccer game yesterday."

"Okay!" Mater nodded, allowing Harley to grab hold of his tow hook to pull her down the road. Doc watched them go, specifically focusing on Harley.

Sheriff noticed the look. "Doc? You okay?"

Doc sighed heavily. "You all know what today is, right?"

Any conversation happening at that moment stopped. Everyone slumped a little on their axles, eyes down. "Hard to believe it's been eight years." Lizzie said, sounding seriously saddened.

"How do you think she's doin'?" Sheriff asked.

"She had a nightmare last night." Doc reported. "One of the worst I've seen."

"She certainly didn't _look_ upset." Sarge noted. "Still, that kid's pretty good at hiding her feelings for someone so young."

"I think we can all agree that Harley needs our help today more than any other day of the year." Fillmore noted.

"He's right, man." Ramone nodded. "She needs smiles, not sadness." The rest of the residents agreed. Sally stared in the direction Harley and Mater left, nibbling on her lower lip.

Mater and Harley returned from their drive a few hours later, the two of them covered in dust from another bout of what they called "dirt skiing," where Mater would drive at high speeds dragging Harley behind him. The rest of the town already dispersed to go about their business, casting smiles and cheerful greetings as Harley passed them.

"I still say the Ghost Light can't be all that bad." Harley shrugged. "I say we go looking for it!"

"Sounds fun, Sissy." Mater laughed.

"Hey Mater! Hey Harley!" Sally greeted as she approached the two.

"Howdy Sally!" Mater said.

"Afternoon, Sally." Harley waved.

"Hey Mater, can I borrow Harley for a while?" Sally requested. Harley and Mater exchanged looks, but shrugged. Mater drove off, leaving Harley to follow Sally towards the Cozy Cone. The two settled in the main office, Sally pouring them each a cup of tea.

"So, what's up?" Harley asked.

Sally thought for a moment about how she would go about this. "Harley, I've known you for a long time. In all the time I've known you, I can't think of a single friend of yours that's a human."

"Yeah, so?" Harley shrugged.

"That doesn't bother you?" Sally asked.

"No, should it?" Harley shrugged again. "I have a great family here. Who cares if they're all vehicles?"

Sally shrugged this time. "I don't know, I guess I would feel a little lonely not having anyone else of my kind around me."

"I never really thought about it." Harley said. "I mean, do you miss L.A.?"

"Sometimes." Sally admitted. "But I fell in love with this place. I can't imagine leaving."

"I guess it's the same for me, then." Harley said with a smile. "I love this place too much to leave. I was born here, after all."

Sally stared at Harley for a moment. "Harley, you know what day it is, right?"

Harley nodded. "The day of the fire."

"Not many in town would want to talk about it, but I have to know: how are you not affected by this?"

"I guess it's because I'm…over it. I mean, I _do_ miss my parents and I wish I could see them again, but you can't change the past." Harley still sounded mournful, even if she tried to shrug it off.

Sally laughed lightly. "Boy do you handle this a lot better than most kids."

Harley laughed. "Sally, I promise, I am _very_ happy here." She stood from her spot, her tea only half-drunk. "I'm going skatin'. See ya around!" She waved as she rolled off, disappearing down the road. Sally watched her go, sighing sadly. She knew Harley was still trying to hide her feelings. The young human girl could easily hide her pain because of her tolerance to the physical sensation. But how does she hide her emotions so well?

Harley hummed to herself as she skated down the road, waving to the Radiator Springs' residents as she passed them. The residents gave warm smiles and cheerful hellos, hiding how concerned they were for the girl. They refused to show it, trying their best to be subtle when they ask how Harley is doing. The brunette finally made it to Stanley's statue and waved to Red as she turned the corner to go farther down the road. She only needed to travel a short distance before arriving at her destination: the charred remains of a house that used to stand there eight years ago. Harley lowered herself down to sit on the ground, staring at what used to be her house. Most of the house was still standing, but it was almost all black and the roof had since caved in from age. It was silent, save for the distant sound of an argument happening between Sarge and Fillmore. Harley stared at the remains of her house, momentarily wondering why nobody had just teared it down completely.

"Harley."

The girl perked up at the sound of her name and she turned to see Sheriff roll up beside her. "Hey Sheriff." The two of them sat in silence for a while, staring at the burned remains of the house. Sheriff always liked to keep an eye on Harley on the anniversary of the fire, concerned for her mental and emotional health. If she knew he kept such a close eye on her, she didn't show nor say. Harley finally spoke. "You know this is the exact same spot where you took me when you saved my life."

Sheriff gave a half-scoff, half-chuckle. "Saved your life? Nah, I was just doin' my job."

"You dragged me out of a burning building." Harley noted. "That counts as saving my life in my book."

Sheriff chuckled. "It was my pleasure."

Harley smiled softly. "You know, I don't remember much about that night except details like that. I remember being asleep, and then hearing voices. Then it's all bright because of the fire. Next thing I know, I'm outside with you and everyone else." Harley laughed lightly. "Guess I'm lucky. If I remembered everything, I'd get like PTSD or something."

Sheriff cast her a concerned look, but shook it off. "Guess so."

Silence returned.

"I'm goin' tumbleweed chasin'." Harley announced, standing. She patted the Sheriff's hood. "See ya around." She skated off, leaving Sheriff to only sigh and return to the town. Harley watched him disappear into town before taking a detour and skating towards the mesa rock formation behind the town. Hiking up the hill, she came to a stop at the bottom of the RS painted on the rock. Harley turned to the town and sat down, laying back to let the sun wash over her entire form.

Harley thought back to the townsfolk. They meant well, but the reality of it was Harley didn't lie; she was truly happy in Radiator Springs and she didn't care that she was the only human. She rather preferred it. At least she was surrounded by people….er, cars…who loved and care about her. But her thoughts wandered back to a conversation she had with Doc some years ago. Doc, like most of the town, believed Harley would benefit from more human interaction. He told Harley that, if she wanted, she could go live in a larger city where there are other humans. We could find a boarding school so you could come home for holidays and such, he said. That is, if you want to. Harley thought about it for a while, but decided she didn't want to leave. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she grew to dislike the idea of leaving Radiator Springs. She only remembered so much of her parents, making the residents of Radiator Springs more of her family than her own parents. She was only twelve, for Chrysler's sake. How could she even _consider_ leaving any of them? Quite frankly, the thought of leaving Radiator Springs terrified Harley. If being able to stay meant she had to put on a smile even when she felt upset, she'd do it.

Despite the concerns of the residents, Harley ended up returning from her sunbathing full of energy. Sheriff even challenged her to a soccer match, to which he was quickly beaten. Harley spent the rest of the day with the townsfolk, doing various jobs and chatting merrily. She thought for sure she had expelled any and all fears about her wellbeing.

She didn't know how wrong she was until that evening.

Harley was about to get into bed but found she was missing her favorite wrench. Strapping on her skates, she rolled out of the clinic and headed towards Ramone's to ask if she left it there. But she noticed Ramone with most of the other residents at Flo's, chatting. Luigi, Guido, Red, and Lizzie seemed to have already retired for the night. Harley began skating over, opening her mouth to announce her presence.

"…..what's best for Harley."

Harley froze, ducking down behind the drive-thru billboard. She pressed herself against the wood, listening.

"I've known that girl her entire life." Doc said. "Heck, I helped Paula give birth to her. I can tell when she's lyin' to me, and not once has she ever told me she was happy and lied about it."

"We all know Harley's truly happy here." Sally agreed. "That should be clear just based on how she lives her day-to-day life. But is it enough? The girl deserves a better life than this."

"I hate to admit it, but Sally might be right." Sheriff nodded. "She's a kid; she needs to be in a place that offers so many more opportunities for her. A place where she can be guaranteed a good future, especially in school."

"I dunno, man." Ramone shrugged. "I mean, she does pretty good with that homeschoolin' stuff."

"She's got nothing but love in her heart." Fillmore sighed. "I think she's growing up just fine."

"She _does_ have all of us there for her." Sarge nodded.

"So what's the problem?" Mater asked.

"It's clear we're all giving her our best and she's loved by everyone." Flo nodded. "I guess we're all just a little afraid it's not enough. She kinda the only interaction we get with kids."

Mater looked down, then to Doc. "Yer…yer not gunna send 'er away, are ya?"

"I'm not givin' her up, if that's what you mean." Doc said firmly. "Harley is _my_ daughter, and she's a part of _our_ family. If she ever leaves Radiator Springs, it'll only be temporary." He sighed. "I only hope I'm not failing her."

"Hey, come on, Doc." Sheriff encouraged with a smile. "Your species aside, you're the best dad Harley could ask for." The rest of the residents there voiced their agreement.

"And we're always going to be there for her." Flo assured. "Whaddya say we postpone this conversation for another time?"

"Yeah." Ramone nodded. "After all, if she's truly happy, why bother her?" Everyone else voiced their agreement and nodded.

Doc smiled. "All right. Done."

Harley stared at the ground for a moment, biting her lower lip guiltily. _I didn't mean to make them worry. I thought that if I assured them I was okay, they'd be happier._ Silently standing, Harley snuck back home. She discovered her wrench on the kitchen table, and she rolled her eyes a little before climbing into bed.

But sleep evaded Harley, even when Doc came to tuck her in and bid her goodnight. She tossed and turned, but nothing felt comfortable. Finally, she rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling. Stars drawn in glow-in-the-dark paint dotted her ceiling, casting a soft glow around her room. Realizing sleep wasn't coming to her anytime soon, Harley rose from her bed and quietly jumped down to the floor. She pulled on her skates and a jacket before creeping outside, praying Doc would still be asleep. The clock on the wall read 11:55 p.m., making it a decent hour for Doc to be out cold. Testing her chances, Harley hurried back to her room and snuck outside, carrying a small stereo and a couple CDs. Harley casually skated down the street, only the glow of the streetlamps lighting her way. Every building was dark, indicating the residents long since retired to their homes for bed. Harley kept going, not stopping until she reached the Stanley statue. She smiled at the late founder of Radiator Springs, greeting him with a small salute. The girl turned around to stare down Main Street, getting a good view of about everything in town. To most, it would be a reminder of how forgotten and near-rundown the place had become. But it was all Harley ever knew, and she found the sight filled her heart with happiness.

Harley crouched down by Stanley's statue, setting her stereo and CDs on the ground. Inserting a disc, Harley closed the lid and pressed PLAY. When she heard the strumming of the guitar, she skated out to stand under a light from a streetlamp, the yellow glow casting over her like a spotlight. She allowed the music to flow into her ears, letting her muscles move to the control of the music.

Harley started by only moving her arms fluidly. But she soon began slowly skating around the street, moving gracefully and smoothly as though on ice. Harley felt all of her emotions from the day melt to nothing, and she began smiling softly as she continued to skate smoothly. Her moves became more advanced as she skated with the grace and style of a ballerina. She jumped up and spun, landing perfectly and gliding across the ground. Harley pulled in her arms, spinning in a tight circle like a professional figure skater while smiling broadly and even giggling.

Harley stopped her spinning and suddenly realized she had an audience. She gasped softly at the sight of Sheriff parked nearby, watching her with a soft smile. Harley looked down, suddenly sheepish.

"Don't stop on my account." Sheriff said, his usual gruff voice coming out much softer. "I'm just here to watch an amazing girl do something incredible."

"I'm not that good." Harley shrugged.

"You're being yourself." Sheriff said. "That's all I need to see."

Harley looked up and smiled. She pushed off again, resuming her dancing. Sheriff watched with a warm smile, happy to see Harley look genuinely joyful. Soon, her dance and the music caught the attention of the rest of the Radiator Springs' residents, and they began moving out to see what was going on. In a matter of seconds, the entire town had come out to watch Harley's dance. Somehow, Harley managed to encourage them forward to join her, and it only took a few encouraging gestures to get everyone to join in the smooth dance.

Doc was the last one the scene, having caught sight of Mater heading into town. He had been awake most of the night, unable to sleep much like Harley. Realizing his daughter had started an impromptu dance, Doc drove out to investigate. He smiled warmly at the sight of Harley actually enjoying herself as she danced/skated amongst her vehicular family.

Harley finally noticed Doc had joined them, the cobalt car parked just a few feet away. Smiling warmly, she skated over to him and rested a hand on his hood, hugging him as best she could. She kept on grinning as she gently pulled Doc towards the makeshift dance floor, the two of them moving smoothly and slowly as the song finished.

Harley and Doc ended their dance, and Harley gave her adoptive father another hug and a kiss. Everyone else gave small cheers, complimenting Harley on her dancing/skating skills. Harley accepted it all with modesty and a warm smile, forgetting that the anniversary of the worst day of her life was just several minutes ago.

Suddenly, a much more upbeat tempo song blasted from the stereo, and everyone turned to see Lizzie had changed the song. She laughed. "Well, when life gives you music, have a party!"

Nobody understood her, as usual, but then again nobody could argue either. The dancing resumed in seconds, this time much livelier. Harley laughed and whooped, weaving though her family and taking a moment to dance with everyone, especially Mater.

Doc and Sheriff parked off to one side, watching the joyous scene with soft smiles. "You know somethin', Doc?" Sheriff asked.

"What?" Doc asked, not taking his eyes off Harley.

"I think Harley's in pretty good hands here." Sheriff chuckled. "Or tires, rather."

Doc chuckled. "I think I'd have to agree with you there."

Everyone agreed. Though they wouldn't admit it out loud in fear of interrupting the wonderful moment, they all knew they would never have to worry about Harley's happiness ever again.

* * *

Harley ended up so exhausted by the end of the party (which really didn't end until about 3 a.m.) Doc had to carry her home on his hood. Mater brought along the stereo and CDs, dropping them off on the kitchen table before yawning a "Goodnight" and returning home.

Doc was careful to not wake Harley as he drove to her room, lowering her bed down and gently setting her on it. Being ever so quiet and gentle, Doc managed to removed her skates and pull the blanket up over her. He nuzzled her head, causing her to smile in her sleep.

"I love you, Harley." Doc whispered. "My baby girl. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."


	3. C: New Arrival

**A/N: So if I ever write "raised an eye frame," just know that for vehicles that's like raising an eyebrow. You know it when you see it in the movies.**

* * *

Chapter Three: New Arrival

Everyone slept in the next day, very much exhausted from the party. Somehow, only Harley was still full of energy when she woke up, skating around town and singing at the top of her lungs. The Radiator Springs' residents were just glad she had a good voice, otherwise it would've been unbearable. The young brunette continued on her day, as did everyone else. It seemed like just another typical day in Radiator Springs.

Nobody knew things were about to change that fateful night.

"Harley, time for bed." Doc announced, driving up to Flo's café to pick up his daughter.

"Aw, can't I stay up a little longer?" Harley begged, giving her best pout.

"Didn't you stay up very late last night?" Doc asked with a raised eye frame.

"Yeah, but I won't this time." Harley assured. "Please?"

"I could use a little help organizing the shelves in here." Flo piped up, winking at Harley.

Doc rolled his eyes, but smiled. "All right. We'll say 11 o'clock. I want you in bed by then, okay?"

"Deal!" Harley nodded, checking the clock to see it was only 9:45. She bid Doc goodnight, as did everyone else, and moved to help Flo with some slight organizing. But after making several pyramids of oil cans, Harley found she was actually kind of bored. She checked the clock again. 10:15. She sighed, then stood and began skating down the road.

"Where ya goin'?" Fillmore asked.

"I'm going to find Sheriff, see if he's still asleep at his post." Harley called.

"Harley," Sarge intoned. "Doc wouldn't like it if you went skating out on that road when it's so dark."

"I'll be okay!" Harley assured. "I'll come back with Sheriff. See ya!" She skated off, leaving everyone else to only shake their hoods and smile at the girl's daring mischievousness.

Harley knew she probably shouldn't have been out on Route 66 in the dark. Not that she feared the dark; she grew up in this desert and knew everything about it. But if Doc found out she went out skating this late and so far from town, he'd really give her an earful. _Eh, what Doc doesn't know won't hurt him. Then again, he somehow manages to know_ everything _that happens in this town._ Harley thought about turning around, but reasoned she was getting far enough out of town that she might as well go all the way.

Soon, the sign where Sheriff kept his post came into view, even in the dim light of the crescent moon. Harley quietly rolled up to the sign, listening to Sheriff's quiet snores. She giggled silently, amazed that Sheriff could be so good at his job when he always seems to be asleep at his post. Harley crept up towards him, smirking.

"Hey Sheriff." Harley whispered.

Sheriff kept snoring, sound asleep.

"Sherrrriiiiiiiff." Harley breathed.

More snoring.

Harley bit her lip to keep back her laughs as she reached to a belt loop where she kept an air horn. Unclipping it and bringing it around, she gave the horn a light shake before jumping and slamming her thumb on the button.

 _BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!_

" _AAAAHHHH!"_

Sheriff about jumped out of his paintjob as the blasting sound of the air horn woke him up. Harley clutched her stomach, laughing so hard her gut began to hurt. Sheriff, realizing the culprit, glared in irritation.

"For Chrysler's sake, Harley! Ya about gave me an engine attack!" Sheriff snapped.

Harley finally managed to calm down, clipping the air horn back onto the belt loop of her shorts. "Sorry, but you didn't wake up the first two times I called you."

Sheriff scoffed. "Were you really _callin'_ or did ya whisper an' then tried ta make me deaf?"

Harley giggled. "Perceptive, aren't we?"

Sheriff rolled his eyes. "What're you doin' out here, anyway? If Doc finds ya out here at night, he'll have my hood for breakfast."

"Thought I'd come and visit you." Harley shrugged. "It must get pretty lonely out here."

"Well, it's a job I gotta do." Sheriff said. "It's called a 'speed trap' for a reason. Can't have no hot rod delinquents tearin' through town."

"Why?" Harley asked curiously.

"Someone could get hurt." Sheriff explained.

"I guess that makes sense." Harley bobbed her head. "But come on, Sheriff. Nobody comes down this road anymore. What are the odds we actually see a—"

Harley didn't even get to finish her sentence when a flash of red sped past, roaring with the sound of a powerful engine that made them jump.

Sheriff growled a little. "Not in _my_ town." He clicked on his lights.

"I wanna come!" Harley said, jumping onto Sheriff's trunk and holding onto the lights attached to his back window.

"Then hang on!" Sheriff warning, siren wailing as he gave a chase to the car speeding off. Harley whooped and laughed, amazed by the speed, but yelped in surprise when Sheriff suddenly began backfiring. Sheriff groaned a little, but kept his focus on the red car just ahead of him. He blinked in surprise when the car began swerving back and forth across the road. "What in the blue blazes?" He picked up speed, keeping the red car in his sights and only wincing slightly when he kept backfiring.

Harley yelped again, growing concerned by how much fire and sparks shot from Sheriff's tailpipe when he backfired. "Sheriff! You okay?"

"I'm all right, Harley!" Sheriff assured. "Just a little backfirin'! Hang on tight!"

Harley didn't need to be told twice, but she managed to shift her body around to see the red car Sheriff chased. She winced in sympathy when he ran into the orange cones on the road, but she gasped in shock to see the car suddenly swerve towards a room at the Cozy Cone. _Aw man, he's already in town! Sheriff's right, this guy could cause some major damage if we don't stop him!_

The car shouted and his tires screeched as he shot around the area, running through a barbed wire fence and taking the wire and some fence posts with him as he went. He tore through Flo's café, narrowly missing Fillmore, Sarge, and Ramone. Although, based on Ramone's infuriated shouts, Harley would guess he actually managed to scratch him. Then she realized how much the red car was shouting and he seemed to lack all sense of direction.

"We gotta stop him! He's so scared he doesn't know what he's doing!" Harley suddenly jumped off Sheriff, much to the police car's surprise as he skidded to a halt. But he couldn't do anything as Harley took off down the street after the red car. She skated as fast as she could, watching him take out Luigi's piles of tires before accidentally plowing down Red's flowers. The barbed wire around him hooked to Stanley's statue, but the car kept pulling until he managed to yank the statue free and cause it to stab into the ground. Somehow even more freaked out, the car did a hairpin turn and sped down the main street, dragging the statue through the road.

Harley finally managed to skate around and put herself in the path of the crazed car. "Stop!" She shouted, holding up her hands in a desperate attempt to show she didn't mean the car any harm. But her eyes widened when she realized the car wasn't stopping anytime soon. Thinking quickly, Harley crouched down and leaped as high as she could into the air. She turned herself as though she would tuck-and-roll, just the way Sarge showed her, but she didn't realize Stanley's statue made the car slow down significantly. Too late, she saw her mistake.

 _Oh crud._

Harley's back hit the top of the red car's roof, causing her to bounce back into the air. Stanley's statue clipped her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain as she hit the ground. The car kept driving, right past Sheriff as the police car hurried to Harley's side. The girl groaned a bit in pain, only complaining a little as she pushed herself upright. Once he made sure she wasn't dead, Sheriff felt his oil pressure grow dangerously high as he sped after the red car. But he found the vehicle, now revealed to be some sort of stock car, hanging from the phone wires and clearly not going anywhere anytime soon. Sheriff allowed himself to slow down and let the adrenaline rush wear off.

Sheriff glared at the car, angry for both the crazy driving and for hurting Harley. "Boy, you're in a heap of trouble."

* * *

"I thought I told you guys I'm fine." Harley assured at breakfast the next day.

"We just want to make sure." Sheriff said. "You have a high pain tolerance, which means you could've broken something and not even known about it."

"Yeah, count your blessings." Ramone said. "Doc nearly blew a gasket, he was so mad."

"Can't wait to see what he decides in court today." Sarge noted.

Harley rolled her eyes, skating off to find Mater. While her shoulder did feel plenty sore from hitting Stanley's statue (thankfully back on the pedestal where it belongs), she knew she didn't hurt herself all that badly. But she also knew Ramone was right; Doc was _furious_ when he found out that not only did some delinquent tear through the town, he also hit the town judge's precious little girl. _Boy do I feel sorry for the poor sap._ Harley thought, finally discovering Mater at the impound lot.

"Hey Mater." Harley greeted, climbing up to her favorite spot on Mater's roof.

"Hey dere Sissy." Mater greeted. "You come to wait fer 'im ta wake up too?"

"Well it's nice to finally get a good look at the car that tried to kill me." Harley joked, chuckling. A groan caught their attention, and they looked ahead to see the red stock car finally beginning to wake up.

"Oh….." the car groaned, blinking his eyes open. "Where am I?"

"Mornin', Sleepin' Beauty!" Mater greeted, causing the red car to jump. Mater and Harley laughed, the tow truck almost knocking Harley to the ground. "Boy, I was wonderin' when you was gonna wake up."

"Don't hurt me!" the red car pleaded. He suddenly became more aware of his surroundings, especially the parking boot on his front left wheel. "Why do I have a parking boot on? What's going on here?!"

Harley rolled her eyes. _Geez. Guy needs a chill pill or two._

Mater chuckled. "I like you already. My name's Mater."

The car finally paused in his struggling, giving the tow truck a strange look. "Mater?"

"Yeah, like 'tuh-mater,' but without the 'tuh.'" Mater explained.

"And I'm Harley." Harley greeted, swishing her blue-streaked hair back. "Like the bike but much cuter. You may not remember me, but I'm the one you almost hit last night."

The red car frowned. "Well who's stupid enough to jump in front of a moving car?"

"Yeah, whatever Speed Racer." Harley scoffed with a raised eyebrow. _Oh, Doc's gonna have fun with this one._

"What's yer name?" Mater asked the red car.

The car blinked. "You don't know _my_ name?"

"Uh….." Mater thought for a moment. "No, I know yer name. Is yer name Mater too?"

The red car blinked. "Look, I need to get to California as fast as possible. Where am I?"

"Where are ye?" Mater said in surprise. "Shoot! Yer in Radiator Springs. The cutest little town in Carburetor County."

The red car took a look around, clearly not impressed. "Oh great."

"Well, if you think _that's_ great, you should see the rest of the town!" Mater said, clearly not getting the sarcasm.

The red car put on a big smile. "You know, I'd _love_ to see the rest of the town! Why don't you get this boot off, open the gate, and you and I can go cruising? How'd that be, Tuhmater?"

"Dad gum!" Mater cheered, moving towards the button to open the gate.

"Uh, Mater?" Harley warned.

"Mater!" Sheriff's gruff voice made Mater jump and reverse back a few feet. "What did I tell you about talkin' to the accused?"

"Ta not to." Mater said with a small pout.

"And Harley, Doc's already steamed 'bout you gettin' hurt." Sheriff told the girl. "He sees you anywhere near this guy and he'll blow his hood off."

"Yeah, I know." Harley said with a small shrug, looking a bit sheepish. She slid off Mater and moved to stand beside Sheriff.

"Mater, tow this delinquent road hazard to traffic court." Sheriff ordered, opening the gate to the impound.

Mater drove up, whispering to the red car, "Well we'll talk later, Mater." He chuckled at his bout of rhyming as he hooked up the red car, hauling him down the road with Sheriff and Harley right beside him. Harley took a look back at the red car and discovered a name printed on one of his fenders: _Lightning McQueen._

 _Hmm. Not a bad name._ Harley mused. _Now what are you doing here?_

* * *

Sheriff gave Mater the cue to encourage Lightning into the courtroom. Despite the demand for order, the residents of the town all began shouting at the red car as he hobbled his way forward, the parking boot preventing him from moving properly. Mater and Harley followed until he reached a spot on the floor labeled "Accused," everyone else behind small dividers to watch the proceedings. Harley skated over to the prosecutor's side, sitting on the railing of the divider and watching Lightning. She did her best to not laugh at the clearly irritated look in the stock car's eyes. He was certainly unlike any car Harley ever met.

"Officer!" Lightning said hurriedly. "Talk to me, babe. How long is this gonna take?"

 _He doesn't seem very worried._ Harley noted, finding the stock car annoying yet amusing. _Wonder if he even knows what he's in for._

"Where's your lawyer?" Sheriff barked, not acknowledging Lightning's question.

"I dunno." Lightning scoffed. "Tahiti, maybe."

"When a defendant has no lawyer, the court will assign one to him." Sheriff droned, clearly irritated by Lightning's attitude. "Hey!" He called, silencing the chatter from the townsfolk. "Anyone want to be his lawyer?"

Immediately, everyone except Mater reversed back a few feet. "Shoot! I'll do it, Sheriff!" Mater said excitedly, driving up to park beside Lightning. The stock car groaned, looking as though the stress was just building up. Harley giggled, covering her mouth with one hand.

Sheriff turned to address the townsfolk. "All rise! The honorable Doc Hudson presiding." Sheriff glared at Lightning. "May Doc have mercy on yer soul." He said gravely.

Lightning refused to show he was afraid, but couldn't help but jump in surprise when the doors slammed open. Doc rolled in, fuming so much the rest of the residents gave him plenty of space as he drove up to the judge's pedestal.

"All right! I wanna know who's responsible for wreckin' my town and hurtin' my kid, Sheriff." Doc called, not even looking towards Lightning. "I want his hood on a platter! Harley, stay away from him."

"Yes, Dad." Harley nodded quickly, knowing her surrogate father was in _absolutely_ no mood for arguing. She scooted down the railing, farther away from Lightning. _Wonder if he's really gonna be so hard on the racecar. Then again, if Doc never liked to talk about his racing, he might be even harder on poor Speed Racer._

Lightning finally caught sight of Doc as he rolled past, and for a moment he was confused as to why Harley called him "Dad." It only took a second for "adopted" to click in his head, but suddenly he felt like his engine stopped running. If Harley really is this Doc guy's kid, and Lightning clipped her during his unintentional rampage…..he was a dead car.

Doc still didn't take notice of Lightning as he continued to growl and mutter about all the things he would do to Lightning. He drove up to the lift that carried him up to the top of the judge's desk, still growling. But when he finally caught sight of Lightning, and he gave a sudden, soft inhale. Harley blinked in surprise at Doc's sudden change. Everything she was expecting, but she never imagined how surprised he'd be.

 _He hasn't seen another racecar in years._ Harley realized.

"Throw him outta here, Sheriff." Doc ordered, glaring. "I want him out of my courtroom, I want him out of our town! Case dismissed!" Lightning sighed in relief, though it was mostly overshadowed by the rest of the residents' groans of disbelief and some irritation. None of them would dare argue with Doc, but they were all surprised by the verdict. Even Harley was surprised, staring at Doc questioningly.

"Sorry I'm late, you're honor!" Sally called as she suddenly entered the courtroom.

Lightning, like most of the town, turned to the newcomer. His jaw nearly dropped at the sight. "Holy Porsche." He smiled flirtatiously as Sally rolled up to the front of the room. "Hey, thanks for comin', but we're all set. He's letting me go."

Sally braked and turned to face Lightning. "He's letting you go?" she repeated, incredulous.

"Yeah, your job's pretty easy today." Lightning said smoothly. "All you have to do now is stand there and let me look at ya."

"Psst, Speed Racer? I wouldn't do that." Harley warned.

"Not now, kid. Grown-up stuff." Lightning droned.

Harley shrugged. "All right. I tried to warn ya."

Lightning hardly paid her any attention, focusing on Sally. "Listen, I'm gonna cut to the chase: me, you, dinner. Ka-chow!" Lightning caught the sunlight coming through the window on a lightning bolt-shaped sticker on his fender, flashing the light across Sally's eyes. The baby blue Porsche winced, groaning from the intense light and a little out of irritation. "I know, I get that reaction a lot." Lightning said, oblivious. He revved his engine, loudly, causing Sally to wince and yelp in surprise. Harley covered her ears, glaring at Lightning. Still, the racecar focused only on Sally. "Oh I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

"Well, a lil' bit. But I'll be all right." Mater said, only to be ignored by the red racer.

"Okay." Sally rolled her eyes, then put on a tight smile. "I'm gonna go talk to the judge."

"No problem, baby." Lightning said. "Just be careful. Folks around here are not firing on all cylinders if you know what I mean."

 _Speak as low as you want, we can still hear you._ Harley thought, rolling her eyes.

Sally smirked at Lightning. "I'll keep that in mind. Hey there, Mater."

"Howdy, Sally!" Mater greeted.

"Hi, folks!" Sally called to the rest of the town, everyone else returning the warm welcome.

Lightning was shocked, casting a look at Harley. The girl only shrugged with a smirk that said "I warned ya." Harley giggled, turning her attention to Sally as the Porsche approached Doc. _Oh boy, here we go. Should've known Sally wouldn't let something like this go so easily. Let's see what she has in store this time._

"Doc, you look great this morning." Sally told the Hornet. "Did you do something different with your side view mirrors?"

Doc allowed his glare to lessen, but only a little bit, as he looked to the Porsche. "What do you want, Sally?"

Sally didn't see any point in beating around the bush, especially given Doc's mood at the moment. "Come on. Make this guy fix the road. The town needs this."

" _No."_ Doc said firmly. "I know his type: racecar. It's the last thing this town needs."

Harley stared at her father curiously before glancing at Lightning. They way Doc spat out the word "racecar" made it seem like an insult. Harley could sense a deeper meaning behind Doc's words, or maybe he just knew Lightning was just like any other hotshot racer Doc had seen in the past.

Sally wouldn't be deterred. "I didn't want to have to do this, Doc." She reversed in order to address the entire courtroom. "Fellow citizens, you're all aware of our town's proud history."

"Here she goes again." Doc muttered with an eye roll.

"Radiator Springs." Sally continued. "The glorious jewel strung on the necklace of Route 66. It is our job and our pleasure to take care of the travelers on our stretch of that road."

"Travelers?" Sarge scoffed. "What travelers?"

"Ignore him." Fillmore called.

"But how, I ask you, are we to care for those travelers if there is no road for them to drive on?" Sally asked. "Luigi? What do you have are your store?"

"Tires." Luigi said proudly.

"And if no one can get to you?" Sally asked.

"I won't sell any…tires….." Luigi's face fell. He began blubbering a bit, with Guido comforting him.

"Flo, what do you have at your store?" Sally asked.

"I have gas." Flo said, causing snickers from Ramone and Mater. "Lotsa gas!" The two men immediately began laughing.

Sally rolled her eyes. "Okay boys, stay with me. And Flo, what'll happen if no one can come to your station to buy gas?"

"I'll go outta business and…will have to leave town." Flo realized sadly.

"And what's gonna happen to all of us if Flo leaves town and closes her station?" Sally demanded, causing a brief uproar of concern from the rest of the residents. "And can we forget our little Harley?"

"Do _not_ drag me into this." Harley droned.

"It's a lawyer thing, nothing against you." Sally whispered before speaking up. "Doesn't our precious little gem of Radiator Springs deserve to grow up in a town that's structurally sound? What's going to happen if she keeps hurting herself from skating on a damaged road?" Another round of concerned comments from the residents, and Harley's face turned beet red. "So don't you think the car responsible should fix our road?" Sally demanded.

"The only guy strong enough to fix that road is Big Al!" Lizzie noted.

"Oh, he can do it. He's got the horsepower." Sally assured. "So what do you want him to do?"

"Fix the road!" The residents called.

"Because we are a town worth fixing!" Sally finished, looking to Doc. The Radiator Springs' residents cheered, chatting excitedly until Doc blared his horn.

"Order in the court!" Doc shouted, the folks finally quieting down. He glanced at Sally, then at Harley. The brunette could almost see the gears churning in his head before he looked up again. "Seems like my mind has been changed for me." He said, albeit regretfully. The town cheered, a few of them honking their horns.

"No!" Lightning moaned. He glared at Sally. "That's it! I am _so_ not taking you to dinner."

Sally laughed. "That's okay, Stickers. You can take Bessie."

"Oh, man! You git ta work with Bessie!" Mater told Lightning excitedly. "I'd give mah left two lug nuts fer somethin' like that!"

"Bessie?" Lightning asked. "Who's Bessie?"

* * *

Harley smirked at Lightning's reaction to seeing Bessie. She nudged Mater. "Hey, go over there and tell him he owes you thirty-two thousand dollars in legal fees."

"Why?" Mater whispered.

"Because it'll be funny." Harley said. Mater blinked.

"This here is Bessie." Doc introduced to Lightning. "Finest road-pavin' machine ever built. I'm hereby sentencing you to community service. You're gonna fix the road under my supervision."

"What?" Lightning gawked.

Mater finally approached the racecar. "Hey, I know this may be a bad time right now, but…you owe me thirty-two thousand dollars in legal fees." Harley struggled to hold back her laughs at Lightning's reaction, giving a thumbs-up to Mater as the tow truck smiled proudly.

"So we're gonna hitch you up to sweet Bessie and you're gonna pull her nice." Doc instructed, driving out to where the start of the destruction began. "You start there where the road begins. You finish down there where the road ends."

Lightning, Harley, and Mater came around to see the main road, and they gawked. Seeing the damage in the light at last, they realized the entire main street had been torn right through. "Holy shoot!" Mater gasped.

"Holy shoot is right." Harley breathed.

Lightning also gawked, realizing just how far the street and the damage stretched. "How long is this gonna take?"

"Do the job right, should take about five days." Doc said.

"Five days?!" Lightning repeated. "But I should be in California schmoozing Dinoco right now!"

"Then if I were you, I'd quit yappin' and start workin'!" Doc snapped. "Hook him up, Mater."

"Okay-dokey!" Mater nodded, pressing down on Lighting's parking boot. He struggled a bit, putting more of his weight on the lock.

"Um, Mater?" Harley piped up. "Maybe you ought to wait until he's attached to Bess—"

 _Clink_

 _VROOM!_

Mater, Harley, and Doc stared as Lightning suddenly sped down the street, leaving skid marks and the parking boot in his wake. In the distance, they could hear him shout "Freedom!" Doc glared at Mater, who could only stare in shock at his mistake. Harley cast a similar look as Doc, only more sympathetic.

"Maybe I should've, uh….hooked him up ta Bessie…..and then, uh….then took the boot off…." Mater guessed. He looked to Doc and Harley, the latter face-palming.

"Great." Doc groaned.

"Don't worry, he won't get far." Harley assured.

"He could be halfway to California by now!" Doc snapped.

"Not with how much gas he's got." Harley said, smirking craftily. Seeing Doc's and Mater's confused and surprised looks, Harley giggled. "I may or may not have helped Sheriff siphon Speed Racer's gas while he was passed out."

Doc chuckled. "That's my girl. No doubt he'll only have enough gas to reach Sheriff's post."

"Should I go tow 'im back?" Mater asked.

"Well, he _does_ seem to be in a hurry to get outta here and towing him would get him back here faster." Doc mused. "Nah. He can drag his sorry bumper back."

Harley giggled furiously as Doc rolled away. "You're so evil!"

"And proud, little missy! And proud." Doc laughed.


	4. C: Gonna Be Okay

Chapter Four: Gonna Be Okay

Eventually, Lightning did manage to make it back and got a ration of gas, and this time Mater made sure to hook him up before removing the parking boot. The townsfolk went back to their business, finding some entertainment in watching Lightning pave over the new road. Sheriff joined Fillmore and Sarge at Flo's for a can of oil. Red watered some flowers outside of Luigi and Guido's store, the two Italian cars debating over placement of their tires for sale. Lizzie found great entertainment in watching the "sexy hot rod" work. Mater and Harley hung out with Lightning, mostly to keep an eye on him as he worked. Harley knew Doc wouldn't like it if she stayed so close to him, but she figured he couldn't exactly do much when he's hooked up to Bessie. She tried to engage him in a conversation about his racing skills and career, but Lightning seemed less than interested in talking with "an annoying little kid."

Mater tried talking to Lightning, but Lightning clearly wasn't listening, too focused on pulling Bessie along to lay down the asphalt. Harley skated around him, careful to avoid the hot and wet asphalt behind him while jumping over the large cracks in the road, and he could only glare at her in irritation when she got too close. He paused, hearing a strange noise coming from Bessie right before a tar bubble popped and splattered onto his fender. "Aw man, that's just great!"

"What's wrong?" Mater asked as he and Harley rolled up to see what happened.

"My lucky sticker's all dirty." Lightning complained.

"Ah, that ain't nothin'. I'll clean it fer ya." Mater offered, beginning to snort and hack.

"Ew, Mater! That's so gross!" Harley squealed in disgust.

"No, no, no!" Lightning snapped, stopping Mater's attempts to "help." He caught sight of Red nearby. "Hey, you in the red! I could use a little hose down."

Red stared almost fearfully at Lightning for a moment before he grabbed his flowers and quickly reversed away.

"Where's he goin'?" Lightning asked.

"Oh, he's just a little bit shy, and he hates you fer killin' his flowers." Mater explained.

"This is ridiculous!" Lightning groaned. "I'm a precision instrument of speed and aerodynamics."

"You're a what?" Harley asked.

"I'm a very famous racecar!" Lightning snapped.

"You are a _real_ racecar?" Luigi asked as he and Guido came from around the corner.

"Yes, I'm a real racecar!" Lightning confirmed.

Luigi and Guido stared, wide-eyed. "I-a have followed racing my entire life!" Luigi said excitedly.

"Then you know who I am! I'm Lightning McQueen!" Lightning said happily.

"Lightning McQueen?!" Luigi nearly squeaked.

"Yes!" Lightning nodded.

Luigi looked like he would pass out from pure bliss, Guido beginning to bounce on his wheels. "Do you know many Ferraris?"

"No, no, no, they race on the European Circuit." Lightning said. "I'm in the Piston Cup!" He noticed Luigi's and Guido's faces fall to frowns. "What?"

"Luigi follow only the Ferraris." Luigi said, returning to his store with Guido close behind.

Harley giggled. "Don't be too hard on them. They're Italian." She noticed something out of the corner of her eye and saw a liquid dripping from under Bessie. "Hey, take a break for a while. Bessie's leaking somethin' and I gotta fix it. You stay here." She skated off towards the firehouse, where she liked to keep her toolbox. She heard Sally call out "Customers, everyone!" and the brunette giggled. "Oh boy, it starts." She found her way into the firehouse, searching for where she left her toolbox. Customers certainly didn't come through Radiator Springs very often, so it was no wonder everyone was so excited. Harley could never tell why. She only guessed that seeing new people was kind of like hearing Guido speak English; certainly didn't happen enough. Still, Harley tended to stay out of sight whenever potential customers came through town for the sake of staying out of everyone's way. Harley kept searching through the firehouse before Red appeared, cradling his flowers.

"Hey Red." Harley greeted. Red smiled at her. "Hey, have you seen my toolbox anywhere?"

Red looked around before pushing a red, metal toolbox out from behind a stack of spare tires.

"Thanks, Red." Harley said gratefully. She patted the fire truck's front fender, and the large truck gave her a loving nuzzle. Harley looked to the door when she heard Lightning exclaiming in panic. "Oh what's Speed Racer screaming about now?" Harley rolled her eyes, skating out to investigate. She jumped when a minivan nearly ran her over, and she ended up tripping over one of Red's flower tires and hitting the ground.

"Oh my!" a female, lavender-colored van cried, driving closer to Harley. "Van, you almost hit the poor thing! Are you okay, dear?"

"I'm good." Harley nodded, standing up and brushing her shorts off. "I haven't seen you two around. New in town?"

"Just passing through." The green minivan, Van, said albeit hurriedly.

"Well, tell your friends: we're here." Harley said with a small giggle. She began to skate away.

"Dear!" The female minivan called, causing Harley to stop and turn to face her. "Do you live here?"

"Born and raised." Harley nodded.

The two minivans stared at Harley, blinking in surprise. "Geez, no wonder these people are desperate." Van muttered to his wife.

"Van!" The purple minivan scolded. "Well, we best be off. Bye-bye now!"

"Have a pleasant drive!" Harley waved as the two cars turned and drove off.

"I'm just saying, it's a miracle the kid's not in the foster system already." Van said as they drove off.

"Van!" The purple minivan snapped.

Harley stared after them, blinking in confusion. But she only shrugged and returned to Lightning. "All right, hold still and I'll get this leak fixed." Lightning didn't answer, not that Harley really minded. She found only a minor leak in one of Bessie's lines and patched it up easily, moving out from underneath her and skating around to give Lightning the OK. But she blinked in surprise to find his eyes wide and almost panicked. "Hey, you all right?"

Lightning didn't really acknowledge her presence, looking to Mater as the tow truck came up. "Mater, let me get this straight: I can go when this road is done, right?"

"That's what dey done did said." Mater confirmed.

"Okay." Lightning settled down on his axles like a cat ready to pounce. He stared at the orange signs that labeled the end of the construction zone. "Outta my way. I got a road to finish." Lightning began gunning it, hauling Bessie down the road much faster than before. It couldn't have been more than a couple miles an hour, but Mater and Harley still couldn't stop staring in shock.

* * *

Doc stared at the x-rays on the wall, taking careful notes of Harley's injuries. While she didn't have anything more serious than bruising, Doc knew it never hurt to double-check. Especially since he took the x-rays in a hurry last night. Harley hadn't stopped sighing, constantly telling her adoptive father she felt fine. But Doc knew better; he knew Harley's healing abilities helped her develop a higher pain tolerance. In fact, her psyche human powers also helped her become a much faster healer for her personal injuries. If she really had broken anything last night, no doubt it would've been half-fixed by now. Even the bruises didn't look too bad. Doc gave a soft chuckle, realizing he may have overreacted. _Boy does that girl give a run for my money._ He thought. _Good thing she's cute._ Cute, strong, kind, with a hint of sass. Harley was born a human, but growing up around the townsfolk allowed her to inherit a personality trait from each and every vehicle in Radiator Springs. It relieved Doc to no end how well the residents cared for Harley as much as he did. _I've kept my end of the deal. That ain't gonna change as long as I'm still kickin'._

Mater burst through the doors of Doc's clinic, Harley right beside him. "He's done!" the tow truck announced.

Doc had been mostly lost in his thoughts when Mater made the announcement. He blinked in surprise. "Done? After an hour?"

"We use the term 'done' loosely here." Harley warned. Doc finally turned and stared at the pair. Harley sighed and jerked a thumb towards the main road. "You gotta come see for yourself."

Doc followed Mater and Harley outside, and his jaw nearly dropped. Lightning pulling Bessie at full throttle left a bumpy, uneven finish of asphalt several inches thick, looking like someone dumped splotches of black paint across the road.

"Dibs on the first drive on the new road!" Mater cheered. He immediately began driving on it, the uneven surface causing him to almost vibrate and send various pieces of metal on him flying off. Harley, who was once holding onto Mater's tow hook, suddenly tripped for the second time that day. She ended up doing a front flip before landing right on her butt, groaning in pain and irritation. She caught sight of the look on Doc's face, and she felt a pang of sympathy.

 _Great, I'm hurt again and it's that racer's poor job that did it._ Harley groaned, skating after Doc as he and Mater made their way towards Lightning and the rest of the town. _That racecar's gonna get tossed through a chop shop if he ain't careful._

"Doc said when I finish, I could go. That was the deal." Lightning's voice said.

"The deal was you fix the road, not make it worse." Doc growled, turning to face Lightning. "Now scrape it off! Start over again."

Lightning smirked. "Hey, look, grandpa, I'm not a bulldozer. I'm a racecar."

Doc feigned impressed, giving a smirk of his own. "Oh-ho-ho-ho, is that right? Then why don't we just have a little race? Me and you." Needless to say, the entire town was shocked by Doc's suggestion. Even Harley was a bit surprised.

Lightning chuckled. "Is that a joke?"

"If you win, you go and I fix the road." Doc proposed. "If I win, you do the road my way."

"I don't mean to be rude here, _Doc_ , but you probably go zero to sixty in, like, what? Three-point-five years?" Lightning scoffed.

"That's actually quite rude." Harley said.

"Well then I reckon you ain't got nothin' to worry about." Doc told Lightning.

Lightning smirked. "You know what, old-timer? That's a wonderful idea. Let's race."

Harley bit back a smirk. _Boy, you have_ no idea _what you just got yourself into._

* * *

Soon, everyone was parked out at Willie's Butte for the impromptu race between Doc Hudson and Lightning McQueen. The competitors sat at a rope strung loosely between two tires, their makeshift starting line, while the residents rested on the hill next to them to watch. Most of the residents were interested to see what happened, but worried about the bet Doc made. Not that he couldn't fix the road himself, but why would he make such a foolish gamble? Unless of course he could actually be faster than the racecar. Harley sat on the ground closer to the starting line, a little bouncy with excitement. After all, it wasn't everyday she got to see Doc show his stuff. Luigi and Guido had Ferrari flags and decorations, giddy with excitement.

 _This is gonna be great!_ Harley could barely hold in her excitement. _Doc's gonna leave this guy in the dust!_

"Gentlemen!" Sheriff called. "Start your engines!"

Doc clicked his engine up, sputtering a bit before it revved to life. Lightning rolled his eyes as he revved his engine furiously, nearly making Harley deaf. The rest of the residents stared in surprise, clearly impressed by such a powerful engine in the racecar.

"Luigi?" Sheriff called, driving over and parking between Harley and Mater.

Luigi stood out in the middle of the track, leaving space on either side of him for the racers to go. "On your mark, get set, _uno_ for the money, _due_ for the show, _tre_ to get ready, and _quattro_ to….I can't believe it." Luigi could barely finish, he was so excited.

Lightning cast a look towards Doc, briefly wondering what he got himself into, but at the sight of Doc's determined glare aimed at the track, he got focused again.

"Go!" Luigi waved the flag he held.

Lightning took off, leaving a large dust cloud behind him as he sped down the dirt track. The Radiator Springs' residents cheered, impressed, but Sheriff and Harley noticed something seemed to be off. The cheers quieted when the dust settled and they realized what happened: Doc hadn't even moved from the starting line.

"Doc, the flag means go." Luigi said, confused.

"Uh, Doc?" Ramone piped up. "What're you doing, man?"

"Oh dear." Doc sighed. "It would seem I'm off to a poor start. Well, better late than never. Come on, Mater! Might need a little help."

"Uh…..okay." Mater said, driving up to follow Doc.

"You can come too, Harley, if you'd like." Doc added.

Harley blinked. "Uh…..sure….." She stood and skated after them, moving between Doc and Mater.

"You got your tow cable?" Doc asked Mater.

"Well yeah, I always got mah tow cable, why?" Mater asked.

"Oh just in case." Doc said, a sneaky smirk on his lips.

Harley looked to see Lightning coming up on the final turn. "Doc, he's gonna be halfway to California by the time we get to the finish line."

"Just watch." Doc said simply. Harley blinked in surprise, but stared ahead as Lightning shot towards the last turn. But, to her and everyone else's surprise, Lightning's tires skidded across the dirt when he tried to turn and he ended up going right over the edge of the hill and into a small ravine full of cacti. Most of them winced in sympathy, but couldn't help chuckling a bit. Doc, Mater, and Harley rolled up to the edge of the small cliff and stared down at Lightning, who revved his engine hard but couldn't do anything to get him back up to the track again.

 _He can't turn on dirt._ Harley realized. _That's why Doc challenged him._

"Hey!" Doc shouted down to Lightning. "Was that floatin' like a Cadillac, or was that stingin' like a Beemer? I'm confused." Mater chuckled and Harley giggled, amused. Doc frowned. "You drive like you fix roads: lousy! Have fun fishin', Mater." Doc drove off, casually making his way over the finish line before leading the cruise back to town. Harley giggled again, watching Mater swing his tow cable around and throw it to hook under Lightning's back axle.

Mater chuckled again. "I'm startin' ta think he knowed you was gonna crash!"

"Thank you, Mater." Lightning droned. "Thank you."

* * *

It took Lightning hours to scrape off the pavement. In fact, he was still scraping it off as dusk began to fall over the town. He muttered bitterly, his frustration seeming to give him extra strength as he continued scraping. Ramone, Sarge, Fillmore, Flo, Mater, and Harley watched from Flo's café, seeming amused by the car's work.

"Hey, _ése!_ You need a new paint job, man!" Ramone called.

"No, thank you." Lightning called back.

"How 'bout some organic fuel?" Fillmore offered.

"That freak juice?" Sarge scoffed.

"Pass." Lightning said.

"Whew. Watchin' him work is makin' me thirsty." Flo said with a smile. "Anybody else want somethin' to drink?"

"Nah, not me, Flo. I'm on one of dem dere special diets." Mater said, almost teasingly. "I'm a precisional instrument of speed and aero-matics."

Harley shook her head, watching Lightning work and listening to him mimic her surrogate father. She laughed lightly before standing and skating off to the tool shed behind the clinic. Grabbing a square-bladed shovel, she glided back out to the main road and pulled up beside Lightning. She stabbed her shovel into the pavement, pushing up the pieces of asphalt.

"What the heck are you doing?" Lightning demanded.

"I'm helping you." Harley shrugged. "You know, because you wanna get out of here as fast as possible. Well, the sooner you get this layer scraped off, the sooner you can get back to fixing the road right. So I'll help you with the first step."

"No, just back off." Lightning snapped.

"Oh come on, I don't mind a little hard work." Harley shrugged, pushing up more asphalt.

"I said no, now get away." Lighting demanded, giving Harley a small shove with his tire. "I don't need the help of some stupid little kid."

Harley frowned, glaring at Lightning. "Uh oh. Now he's done it." Sarge murmured, his companions and neighbors nodding in agreement. Harley didn't usually lose her temper, but push her buttons enough and it'll set the girl off quicker than one could blink. Amazingly enough, she usually managed to calm down after a while. But nobody liked her when she was angry.

Then, much to their surprise, Harley suddenly lifted the shovel and slammed the flat of the blade against Lightning's roof. The racecar yelped in pain, glaring at Harley and opening his mouth to shout at her. But the furious look in her eyes silenced him. "I just thought I'd help since I feel sorry for you!" Harley shouted.

"W-what?" Lightning stuttered, dumbfounded by the girl's bout of anger.

"I'm trying to be nice because I know you wanna get out of here." Harley snapped. "I'm sorry; I'm sorry that you have to fix this road that you destroyed in the first place. I just thought I could show a little hospitality since I was raised to be kind to others. I already forgive you for almost killing me your first night here." Lightning opened his mouth to protest that last comment, but Harley held up the shovel threateningly. "And don't even think about denying that. The fact of the matter is you could've seriously hurt someone, someone besides me. I don't hold it against you because you were so freaked out when it happened, but the least you could do is stop acting like a complete and total jackwagon!" With that, Harley stopped a foot and skated off, disappearing around the corner. Lightning stared after her, momentarily stunned before shaking his hood and resuming his work.

That night, Doc and Harley finally made their way home to turn in. As Doc backed up into the clinic and his home, he paused and looked down the road where Lightning still worked under the watchful eye of the Sheriff. Bessie let out another splatter of tar onto Lightning, who immediately began complaining about how much he hated the situation he was in.

Doc chuckled. "Music to the ears."

Harley laughed. "You really are evil." She continued laughing as she joined Doc inside.

Half an hour later, Harley was in her pajamas reading a book on the couch. She glanced out the window now and then, lost in thought. Doc came into the living room several minutes later, announcing it was time for bed.

"Brush your teeth?" Doc asked. Harley breathed on his grill, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"Brush _your_ teeth?" Harley asked. Doc blew air into her face, and she giggled. "Hey, you actually remembered."

"I ain't losin' my teeth anytime soon." Doc assured. He nuzzled Harley lovingly, lightly kissing her head before pressing the button to loft her bed up. "Goodnight, Harley. Love you."

"'Night, Doc." Harley said, snuggling under her blanket. Doc began driving out, but Harley suddenly spoke up. "Hey Doc?"

The cobalt Hudson Hornet paused and turned back towards the girl. "Yeah?"

Harley stared at the ground before locking her crystal blue eyes onto Doc's. "We're gonna be okay, right?"

Doc blinked in surprise, driving closer to the side of Harley's bed. "What do you mean?"

"Us. And the town. Are we gonna be okay?" Harley repeated.

"Of course we are." Doc assured. "What brought this up?"

Harley looked down again. "We had a couple customers drive through town today. I ran into them as they were leaving. I heard them say they were surprised that I wasn't in the foster system already."

"Is that so?" Doc said with a small growl in his tone. _How can people be so insensitive? And to say something like that while she was still in earshot._

"Doc, what's a foster system?" Harley asked.

Doc was jolted from his thoughts, and he smiled at Harley. "It's nothing to worry about. You don't belong there."

Harley nodded aimlessly. "So, we're gonna be okay? The town's not in trouble because nobody comes through anymore? I mean, that's what it's always been like, right?"

Doc faltered a bit, but forced a small chuckle. "Harley, you don't need to worry about it. It's grown-up stuff that's so boring you'll be put to sleep if we try and talk about it." Harley giggled, but Doc felt his gut twist into knots. Harley was still only a little girl. She was innocent to the problems of the town; after all, she grew up in an empty town. Doc and the rest of the town agreed to do everything they could to keep Harley happy and innocent. She was just too young to worry about such things.

The cobalt Hornet suddenly noticed Harley was rubbing her blanket nervously. He nudged her bed, getting her attention, and the girl sighed. "Doc, I'm scared. I don't wanna leave Radiator Springs or anyone here. You're my family."

"And _nothing_ is going to change that." Doc assured.

"But Sally said the road being broken would make everyone leave town." Harley said.

"Yeah, but it's getting fixed." Doc reasoned. "Nobody's going anywhere, especially not you."

"You sure?" Harley asked.

"Positive." Doc nodded. "Remember what I promised you? I'll always take care of you, Harley. And you know everyone here cares about you so much they'll never let anything happen to you."

Harley smiled softly. "Thanks, Daddy."

Doc smiled back, sighing. "You know, I like it when you call me that."

"Call you what?" Harley asked.

"When you call me 'Dad' or 'Daddy' instead of 'Doc.'" Doc explained. "I don't particularly mind which one you choose, but whenever you call me 'Dad,' it reminds me of the decision I made so many years ago: the decision to take you in as my daughter. It's a choice that's changed my life for the better, and if I had the chance to do it over again I wouldn't change a thing."

Harley's smile grew, her spirits renewed. She pulled herself to the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms across Doc's hood, sighing happily as the older vehicle nuzzled her lovingly. Harley kissed the Hornet's hood. "I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, sweetheart." Doc said gently. "Now get some sleep."

Harley nodded, crawling back under her covers. She sighed tiredly, but still smiled as she closed her eyes. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Doc said, shutting off the lights and driving from the room. His face fell a little as he drove to his own room, thinking back to Harley's words. But he shook it off. After all, the town survived for quite a few decades now as they were, so how could things get worse? Doc's promise to Harley was an easy one to keep, simply because the townsfolk would always stick together no matter what happened.


	5. C: Genuine Smiles

Chapter Five: Genuine Smiles

Harley woke the next morning to Mater's whoops of joy, and she rubbed her eyes as she fumbled for her glasses. "What in the blue blazes is that all about?" Harley yawned, crawling across her bed to the window and opening it. Looking out, she gasped in surprise and suddenly scrambled out of bed to get dressed. Doc met her halfway out the door as they headed down the road, where the rest of the Radiator Springs' residents were filing out of their homes to see the beautiful sheet of black asphalt that made their new road. Well, at least 1/3 of it. Mater glided across the smooth surface, whooping and laughing, and soon the rest of the residents were tentatively driving across the new road. All of them were in awe over the feeling of smoothness beneath their tires.

"Doc, look at this!" Sally said happily. "Shoulda tossed him into a cactus a lot sooner."

" _Bellissimo!"_ Harley breathed in Italian.

"Well, he ain't finished yet." Doc noted, looking to the long stretch of road still yet to be done.

Harley didn't listen much, tentatively putting her skates to the new road. She was amazed by the smoothness, having spent her entire life on the old road or on dirt. Licking her lips, Harley pushed off and began skating down the stretch of new asphalt. She was surprised at first by how much speed she picked up so quickly, and then she began whooping and laughing. Her tiny tire-wheeled skates glided across the asphalt like rollerblades on hardwood floors. No bumps or cracks or weathered down ridges. Just smooth, perfectly flat road. Harley's cobalt-streaked hair flew behind her in the wind as she sped around Stanley's statue and right back to her father, skidding to a halt beside him. She laughed happily. "Doc, you gotta feel this! It's smoother than the cement floors in Sarge's shop!"

Doc took a good long look at the road, and his glare softened. "That punk actually did a good job." He caught sight of Bessie nearby, but there was a surprising lack of red racecar. "Where the heck is he?"

Harley looked towards where Bessie was parked. "Isn't Willie's Butte that way?" She and Doc exchanged looks before Doc began driving off, Harley hanging onto a side view mirror to pull her along.

The two of them heard Lightning's engine long before spying Sheriff sitting out on a ridge and looking out towards Willie's Butte. "Sheriff!" Doc called as he parked beside the police car. "Is he makin' another run for it?"

"No, no." Sheriff explained, the three of them watching Lightning race around the Willie's Butte track. "He ran outta asphalt in the middle of the night, asked me if he could come down here. All he's tryin' to do is make that there turn." As they watched, Doc and Harley noticed Lightning attempt to make the same turn where he crashed into the cactus, only to spin out and end up in the bushes.

"He's been trying all night?" Harley guessed, already knowing the answer. "He's either crazy or dedicated, or both."

Doc made an amused "huh" sound, clearly humored by this little problem affecting Lightning so much. He looked to Sheriff, who seemed a bit out of it. Then again, the police car had most likely been up the entire night. "Sheriff, why don't you go get yourself a quart of oil at Flo's." Doc offered. "Harley and I will keep an eye on him."

"Well thanks, Doc." Sheriff said gratefully. "I've been feelin' a quart low." He drove off, leaving Harley and Doc alone to watch Lightning begin another lap.

Harley looked to her father. "I know that look, Dad. What're you thinkin'?"

Doc chuckled as the two of them began making their way to the track. "Hot-rodder delinquent he may be, but the kid's obviously got a passion and Ford-given talent for racing. Let's see if he's passionate enough to learn a thing or two."

"We'll see." Harley shrugged, the two of them rolling up towards Lighting. The red racecar desperately tried another turn, only to shout in surprise as he went skidding into the dust, dirt, and tumbleweeds. "Hey Speed Racer!" Harley greeted as they approached.

Doc smirked, noticing Lighting had a nice layer of dirt all over him. "This ain't asphalt, son."

"Oh great. What do you want?" Lightning demanded, driving back towards the starting line.

Doc and Harley followed, the former continuing his lesson. "You don't have three-wheel brakes, so you gotta pitch it hard, break it loose, and then just drive it with the throttle. Give it too much, you'll be outta the dirt and into the tulips."

Lightning sighed, turning and smirking skeptically at the old Hornet and his daughter. "So you're a judge, a doctor, _and_ a racing expert."

"And you're a racecar, a jackwagon, _and_ a bulldozer." Harley said in a snarky tone. "Life's full of surprises."

"Yeah, whatever." Lightning huffed.

"I'll put it this way." Doc offered. "If you're goin' hard enough left, you'll find yourself turnin' right."

Lightning's eyes narrowed. "That makes perfect sense. Turn right to go left! Yes! Thank you!" Doc's and Harley's faces fell to looks of irritation and some boredom as Lightning's sarcastic voice raised in volume. "Or should I say 'No, thank you'? Because in Opposite World, that must mean 'thank you'!" Lightning turned and sped off, kicking up dust towards Doc and Harley as he drove away. Doc and Harley blinked a bit from the dust, Harley forced to take off her glasses because the dirt coated her lenses. The two shared a look before Harley rolled her eyes and Doc let out a groan, the two of them returning to their post.

"Could he be any more annoying?" Harley asked as she pulled a cloth from her pocket to clean her glasses.

"Could be worse, I suppose." Doc sighed. He parked back up on the hill, Harley plopping down on the ground beside him. The two of them watched Lightning loop around the track, but much to their surprise he suddenly took a sharp right turn instead of left, going straight over the ledge again and into a ravine. Harley winced, groaning in sympathy. Her eyes widened when a tall cactus plant suddenly tilted and fell over the cliff edge, landing right on top of him based on the resounding sound of his pained scream.

"You think he took you too literally?" Harley asked with a nervous giggle.

* * *

"Turn right to go left." Lightning muttered.

Harley giggled as she skated around Lightning, rolling this way and that while carefully avoiding the bumps in the road. "You know, you look rather nice with cacti stuck all over you." She laughed, taking in the various pieces of cactus stuck to Lightning's metal hide and tires.

"I thought you weren't gonna talk to me since I'm, what you call, a 'complete and total jackwagon.'" Lightning noted, continuing his work.

"Well, I think the jackwagons of the world need the most amount of kindness." Harley shrugged. "So I'll just pretend last night's little spat didn't happen."

"Wish my roof could forget it." Lightning huffed, a spot on his roof still a bit sore from Harley hitting him with a shovel. He rolled his eyes when Harley giggled again, but somehow he found her laugh not that annoying anymore. Still, he continued to mutter to himself as he kept working, ignoring Harley as she skated around him. "While I'm stuck here paving this stinkin' road, Chick's in California schmoozing Dinoco. _My_ Dinoco."

Harley raised an eyebrow. "What's a Dinoco?"

"None of your car wax." Lightning droned. There was the sound of whirring and Lightning yelped. "Whoa! Who's touching me?"

Guido popped up from behind Lighting, having been previously crouched down by the racecar's right back wheel. "You have a slow leak. Guido, he fix." Luigi explained as he approached. "You make-a such a nice new road."

"And he says he's not a bulldozer." Harley teased.

Guido continued working on Lightning's tires, spinning them to rid the rubber of the cactus pieces while fixing the leaks and filling the tires with more air. "You come to my shop." Luigi offered Lightning. "You buy four tires, I give you a full-a size spare absolutely free!"

"Look, I get _all_ my tires for free." Lightning said.

"You haven't tried Luigi's tires." Harley shrugged. "He and Guido know their stuff."

"No." Lightning droned.

Harley laughed, watching Luigi try to barter with Lightning. When he and Guido drove off, and Harley finally caught sight of Luigi's store looking bright and shiny and new. It was even freshly painted. In fact, most of the townsfolk were straightening up and cleaning their homes and shops as though to match the new road being put in.

Lightning exhaled deeply, and Harley smiled kindly. "You don't like other people helping you, huh?"

"I never asked for help." Lightning huffed.

"Sometimes you don't need to ask." Harley shrugged. "You just need to know what it's time to accept it. Won't kill you to accept help now and then."

"I'm a one-man show, kid." Lightning said. "I don't need anyone else. I work _solo_."

"Is that so?" Harley raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Lightning confirmed. "I work better that way."

Harley shrugged. "Sounds kinda lonely if you ask me." Lightning looked up in surprise, having never considered his one-man show mindset as "lonely." Harley was still smiling at him with a warm gaze in her eyes, which Lightning had just realized were the exact same shade as Doc's. "Well, if you're so intent on being alone, I guess I'll leave you to your work." Harley turned and moved to roll away.

"Hey Harley." Lightning called, making Harley pause and turn to face him again. The girl looked surprised at the sound of Lightning calling her by her actual name. Lightning looked down and sighed. "Could you…..do me a favor?"

Harley feigned shock. "Me? Do a favor for the oh-so-famous Lightning McQueen? I'm honored!"

Lightning rolled his eyes. "Would you just do it?"

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Harley laughed.

Lightning sighed again. "There's a piece of cactus stuck in my fuel tank hole. It's really, really uncomfortable so…..will you…please take it out?"

Harley took a look and realized he was right. She stared at Lightning for a while before giving a genuine smile. "Sure, Speed Racer." She skated over beside his back left wheel and gently grabbed the piece of cactus. "Hang on, it's really in there." She yanked on it a few times before it finally came loose, only for the needles to stab her a little. She yelped, sucking on her finger before tossing the cactus aside.

"You okay?" Lightning asked, sounding a little concerned.

"I'm fine." Harley assured. "Not the first time I was punctured by a cactus, won't be the last. You okay now?"

Lightning looked up and stared at Harley for a moment. Her outburst last night compared to right now would've indicated a very polarizing personality, but now she just looked like an innocent, cute little kid. Realizing she wasn't angry with him anymore, he relaxed. "Yeah. A little sore, but good. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Harley nodded. "Here, I can help with the soreness." She placed a hand on Lightning's side, much to his surprise. But the stock car gawked when Harley's irises suddenly turned snow-white. In seconds, any pain he felt disappeared. Harley's eyes returned to normal and she moved backwards to smile proudly. Lightning stared. _She has healing powers? Ah man, she must be a psycho….psycha…psych-man! Okay, that's kinda cool._ Harley giggled at Lightning's reaction to her powers. She looked up and her eyes widened. She skated backwards quickly. Before Lightning could ask what was wrong, a shot of water suddenly collided with his face and body. While it knocked off the remaining cacti, it was also quite cold. The water stopped, and Lightning sputtered a bit before looking up to see Red and Sally before him.

"Oh, Red, you missed a spot." Sally told the fire truck. The truck inched forward, eyeing the piece of cactus still stuck on Lightning's hood just below his windshield. He blasted water from his hose, continuing the cold-water assault until the cactus piece flew off. The fire truck drove off with a proud smile on his face.

Lightning sputtered and coughed, now dripping wet. "What was that for?"

"So you can stay at the Cozy Cone." Sally said.

"Huh?" Lightning asked, Harley giving Sally a similar look of surprise and confusion.

"If you want to, you gotta be clean." Sally said.

Lightning stammered. "I don't get it."

"I just thought I'd say thank you for doin' a great job." Sally said. "So I thought I'd let you stay with me. I mean, not _with_ me! But there." She stuttered a bit over her words.

"Wait, you're being nice to me." Lightning realized with a crafty smirk.

"If you want to stay at the dirty impound, that's fine." Sally shrugged.

"No, that's okay." Lightning assured, glancing to the motel. "Yeah, the Cozy Cone."

"It's newly refurbished." Sally informed him, sounding a bit proud.

"And awfully comfortable." Harley added. "I like to have slumber parties in there from time to time."

Lightning chuckled at the orange cone-shaped rooms. "Yeah, that's clever. The motel's made out of caution cones, which cars usually try to avoid. But now we're gonna stay in them."

Harley face-palmed, giggling. Sally gave Lightning a deadpan look. "Figure that all out on your own, did ya?" She drove off to the Cozy Cone office.

Lightning looked down, mentally kicking himself, but then he noticed something between Sally's back brake lights. "Hey, do I spy a little pin striping tattoo back there?"

"Oh!" Sally chuckled nervously, spinning around but then accidentally backing into a stack of orange cones by the door. She backed into the office, laughing nervously.

Harley laughed out loud, her and Lightning staring after Sally. Mater seemed to appear out of nowhere, speaking up and somewhat startling his friends. "You know I once knew this girl Doreen. Looked jus' like a Jaguar, only she was a truck!"

Lightning blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"I dunno." Mater said, but he suddenly looked excited. "Hey, I know somethin' we can do tonight, 'cause I'm in charge of watchin' ye! Harley, ye kin come along too."

"Cool!" Harley nodded.

"No, Mater, I am finishing this road, and I have to get out of here." Lightning said.

"Well, that's all right, Mr. I Can't Turn On Dirt." Mater shrugged. "You probably couldn't handle it anyway."

"Whoa, easy now, Mater." Lightning scoffed, falling for Mater's ruse. "This is Lightning McQueen. I can handle anything."

"Great!" Mater cheered. "See ya tonight!" He sped off, whooping.

"Crazy guy." Lightning chuckled.

"Yeah, but he's awesome so we keep him around." Harley laughed. "Now back to work with you or Dad's gonna have your hood."

Lightning nodded, continuing to pull Bessie. He cast glances at Harley now and then, the girl continuing to skate around him. Sure, she was plenty scary if she became angry, but that part of her seemed to be buried by her unfailing kindness. In general, as Lightning discovered, the kid was just _friendly._ But he finally found the burning question in his mind couldn't wait for an answer anymore. "Kid, I've been meaning to ask you: where are your parents?"

"Doc's my dad." Harley said. "I thought we already established that."

Lightning shook his hood. "I just don't get you. What the heck are you doing here? I mean, not only are you the only kid, but you're the only human I've seen in this entire town. Why is that?"

"Well, there certainly used to be plenty more humans in the town." Harley explained. "At least that's what folks around here say. Most of them moved out a long time ago, before I was born. But even my great-grandparents lived in Radiator Springs; heck, they were some of the first residents along with Stanley and Lizzie. If my family's been living her for that long, then I'm going to do the same. I was born here, after all."

"So, if your family's been living here so long, why haven't I seen them?" Too late, Lightning realized he was probably asking a very personal question of Harley. Who knows how she would react? Frankly, Lightning didn't want her to hit him in the roof again.

But the blue-streaked brunette didn't seem to care. A slight air of sadness came over her usual jovial aura. "Well, my grandparents died when I was a baby. My real parents were killed in a fire that took my house with it. Sheriff saved me from the fire, Doc adopted me; well, pretty much everyone in the town adopted me. You know Doc once asked if I would be happier living in a town where there were other humans, but I just couldn't imagine leaving everyone."

"You'd rather stay in this town than be with your own kind?" Lightning asked, confused.

"I'd rather spend the rest of my life in Radiator Springs, where I'm surrounded by people who love me." Harley said, seeming to radiate with a warm energy that made Lightning smile a bit. The racecar couldn't imagine being in Harley's situation, but he also couldn't help feeling awed by her devotion to her vehicular family. Harley noticed the look on Lightning's face and laughed. "So, you sure you can handle what Mater and I have in store tonight?"

"Kid, I race for a living." Lightning said confidently. "I can do whatever it is you guys have planned."

* * *

"Mater, Harley, I'm not doin' this!" Lightning whispered.

"You'll love it!" Mater chuckled, him and Harley eyeing the field of tractors just down the hill. "Tractor-tippin's fun."

"Don't be such a sourpuss." Harley said at Lightning's exasperated look.

Mater whispered, "When I say go, we go. But don't let Frank catch you. Go!" He took off, Harley hanging onto his tow hook. Lightning scrambled after them. "You jus' sneak up in front of 'em, and then honk." Mater instructed. "They do the rest. Watch this." Harley let go of Mater and she and Lightning watched him quietly drive up to a nearby tractor. He carefully snuck up before honking his horn, jolting the tractor awake. Mater backed up to his friends and the three of them watched as the tractor reared up on its back wheels and fell backwards, a gurgling sound coming from its tank right before it backfired softly. Mater and Harley busted up laughing.

"I tell you what, buddy." Mater said to Lightning. "It don't get much better den this."

"Yep, you're livin' the dream, Mater boy." Lightning said sarcastically, pausing to watch Mater roll up to another tractor and repeat the process. Mater and Harley began laughing again.

"I don't care who you are, dat's funny right dere." Mater laughed. "Yer turn, Harley."

"You got it." Harley nodded, sneaking towards another tractor. Lightning was about to ask what Harley would do for a horn when he noticed her unclipping an air horn from one of her belt loops. Licking her lips, Harley jumped and slammed her thumb onto the air horn, emitting a loud honk that made the tractor tip over. Harley punched the air as Mater laughed. "Yeah, that's fun." Harley giggled. "You're turn, Lightning."

"Guys, I can't." Lightning protested. "I don't even have a horn."

"Baby." Mater scoffed.

"I'm not a baby." Lightning pouted. Mater and Harley began making chicken noises until Lightning silenced them. "All right, stop!" He rolled up to another tractor, stopping right in front of it. He stared almost nervously at the animal sleeping before him, unsure whether or not he could actually go through with this. But when he glanced at Harley and Mater, they both gestured for him to go on. Gathering his bravery, Lightning tensed up on his axles before revving his engine loudly. The eruption of noise suddenly caused every single tractor in the field to shoot their eyes open and tilt up on their back wheels. Harley, Mater, and Lightning moved closer together, staring in shock. A round of gurgling rang out from the tractors, and the three of them shared a look.

A round of backfires from every tractor in the field.

The three of them shared another look before laughing. Even Lightning had to admit, that was pretty funny. Amazing, too, considering he was able to get every single tractor in one shot. But the sound of angry mooing caught their attention, and the human and two vehicles quieted to see lights coming from behind some nearby bushes.

"Uh oh." Harley suddenly leaped into the back of Mater's flatbed, gripping his tow cable.

"That's Frank." Mater said, turning and speeding off. Lightning, confused, stared at the lights for a moment….until a huge threshing machine suddenly burst through and bellowing angrily at him.

"AAAHHH!" Lightning shouted, practically pulling himself into a hairpin turn and taking off after Mater and Harley. Frank was quick to follow, thresher blades spinning. Lightning finally managed to catch up with Mater and Harley, who were both laughing and whooping. They kept laughing like maniacs as they took a sharp turn and headed towards another end of the gate. Lightning could feel Frank's hot breath on his roof as they sped along, Mater crashing through a fence board to allow them to speed out into the road. Frank, still caught in the field, could only growl at them as they left.

* * *

"Tomorrow night we can go look for the Ghost Light!" Mater suggested as he, Harley, and Lightning returned into town.

"I can't wait, Mater." Lightning rolled his eyes, clearly not amused by their recent near-death experience.

Mater laughed. "Oh boy, you gotta admit that was fun!"

"Oh yeah….yeah…" Lighting sighed.

"What's the matter, Speed Racer?" Harley laughed. "You city folk don't do much for fun?"

"My definition of 'fun' does not include almost getting shredded by a crazy bull." Lightning droned, only making Harley laugh harder.

"Well, we better get you back to the impound lot." Mater said regretfully.

"You know, actually, Sally's gonna let me stay at the motel." Lightning said.

Mater and Harley shared a look before smirking. "Oh….gettin' cozy at the Cone, is we?" Mater mused.

"Oh, come. Are you kidding?" Lightning almost gagged. "Besides, she can't stand me. And I don't like her."

"Yeah, I guess you two wouldn't make a good fit." Harley shrugged.

Mater nodded. He smirked. "Hey, look, there's Miss Sally!"

"Hi Sally!" Harley waved off to one side.

"What, where?" Lightning asked excitedly, only to realize he had been tricked. Harley and Mater began laughing as they continued down the road.

"Yer in love with Miss Sally." Mater said. Lightning couldn't really protest as Mater suddenly jumped in front of him, driving backwards as he chanted. "Yer in love with Miss Sally!"

"Okay, that's really mature, Mater." Lightning rolled his eyes. "Real grown up."

"Well it's true, ain't it?" Harley giggled, making kissing noises.

"You luv her." Mater said.

Lightning couldn't focus on denying it as he watched Mater continue reversing. "Will you stop that?"

"Stop what?" Mater asked.

"That driving backwards stuff." Lightning said. "It's creepin' me out. You're gonna wreck or something."

"Wreck?" Mater repeated, stopping and forcing Lightning and Harley to stop.

"Uh oh, now you've done it." Harley warned with a smile.

"Shoot, I'm de world's best backwards driver!" Mater said, flicking on his emergency lights. "Jus' watch dis right here, lover boy." He suddenly took off, driving backwards at a significantly high speed. Lightning yelped in surprise and concern as Mater went straight towards a Cozy Cone, only to swerve at the last second and go tearing around the lot of the motel.

"Mater? Mater!" Lightning called worriedly.

"No stoppin' him now!" Harley laughed. "Git-R-Done, Mater! Whoo-hoo!"

Mater, darting backwards between two cones, stopping in the middle of a field and began spinning in circles as he screamed happily. Then, to Lightning's surprise, he reversed into the forestry nearby and began tearing through the brush. He even jumped up above the trees, still going backwards, as he whooped and laughed all the way.

Lightning chuckled. "He's nuts."

"An absolute looney." Harley confirmed. "Go Mater! Yee-haw!"

Mater finally emerged from the trees, not a scratch on him. "Ain't no need to watch where I'm goin'!" Mater called, jumping and stopping to face Lightning and Harley as his lights flicked off. "Just need to know where I've been."

"That was incredible!" Lightning cried, stunned and impressed. "How'd you do that?"

"Rearview mirrors." Mater said, wiggling said mirrors. "I'll teach ya if you want."

Lightning chuckled as they kept going down the road. "Yeah, maybe I'll use it in my big race."

"Again with that race?" Harley laughed.

"What's so important about dis race of yers, anyway?" Mater asked.

Lightning stopped, forcing Mater and Harley to do the same. He turned to face them, his entire body language changing. "It's not just a race. We're talking about the Piston Cup! It's my life dream. I'll be the first rookie in history _ever_ to win it. And when I do, we're talkin' big new sponsor, with private helicopters. No more medicated bumper ointment. No more rusty old cars."

"What's wrong with rusty old cars?" Mater asked.

Lightning caught his mistake, staring at the rusted tow truck and the girl with the same colored hair beside him. "Well, I don't mean you, Mater. I mean other old cars."

"Eh, it's okay, buddy." Mater said, his voice a little sad. Harley gave him a comforting pat. Mater was far too nice to let something like his rust be seen as a problem. He'd been that way so long he hardly even noticed. Instantly, he perked up again. "You think maybe I kin git a ride in one of dem heli-copters? I've always wanted ta ride in one of dem fancy heli-copters."

"Yeah." Lightning nodded. "Sure."

"You mean it?" Mater asked, wagging his tow cable like a happy puppy.

"Oh yeah. Anything you say." Lightning said casually.

Mater's smile grew. "I knew it. I knowed I made a good choice!"

Lightning blinked in confusion. "In what?"

Mater looked down, but smiled again. "Mah best friend." Lightning blinked in surprise, but smiled softly. Mater returned the warm grin. "See ye tomorrow, buddy!" He began driving backwards again, looping around Lightning before returning home.

Lightning laughed. He looked to Harley, who stared at him. He blinked. "Oh, hey, I hope you don't mind Mater calling me his 'best friend.'"

"No worries." Harley assured. "The guy needs a best friend in his life."

"What about you?" Lightning asked.

"I'm his little sister. That's even _better_ than best friend." Harley said with a laugh. Lightning laughed too, and Harley found herself staring at him again. _Doc was right; the guy's got quite the passion for racing. Just hearing him talk about that Piston Cup makes me excited. He's just gotta get his priorities straight._ "Well, goodnight." She began skating off, but paused. "Oh yeah, and thanks."

"For what?" Lightning asked.

"For coming tractor-tippin' with us." Harley said. "That must've been quite the step outside your comfort zone, but you actually ended up enjoying it."

"I dunno." Lightning shrugged a bit.

"I'm serious, Lightning." Harley said, making the red stock car jump a bit at the sound of her saying his actual name. "You know, this is the first time since you've come here that I've seen a genuine smile on your face. It's nice to see. I know this racing thing is really important to you, but maybe you need to think about doing things you enjoy now and then. Tonight, you did something enjoyable, and I think it's had a positive effect on you."

Lightning stared at Harley for a moment. "You think so?"

Harley smiled warmly. "Just give that some thought." She skated off towards home. "Goodnight, Speed Racer!" She giggled as she picked up speed, heading for home. But she paused at the sight of the town. Even in the dark, she could see the freshly cleaned buildings and the new section of the road. It didn't look anything like the town she had been growing up in for the past twelve years. Not that she minded; the place was looking great. Any and all worries she had from the previous day felt nonexistent, and she smiled warmly as she made her way to the finished sections of the road. While she wasn't accustomed to change, she had to admit this was pretty nice. She skated across the smooth asphalt, performing acrobatic tricks and ballerina-like movements. Sighing, Harley reluctantly left the pavement and continued home before Doc became worried.

 _Maybe there's some hope for you after all, Speed Racer._


	6. C: Hudson Hornet vs Junior Hornet

Chapter Six: Hudson Hornet vs. Junior Hornet

"Mornin' Doc. Mornin' Sheriff." Harley greeted as she entered the clinic the next morning.

"Mornin' Harley." Sheriff waved from his spot on the lift.

"Sleep well?" Doc asked as he raised the lift Sheriff rested on.

"Yeah." Harley nodded. "Slept great. Whatcha doin'?"

"Just a basic tune-up on the old geezer." Doc replied, pulling his tools out.

"Look who's talkin'." Sheriff scoffed.

Harley giggled. "Can I help?"

"I think I got it." Doc assured. "Unless there's somethin' Sheriff ain't tellin' me…again."

"When have I ever—" Sheriff paused at Doc's and Harley's pointed looks, and he sighed. "All right, point taken. My axles are feelin' a bit sore."

"I'll take a look, see what I can find." Harley offered, skating under Sheriff and taking a look at his front axles.

"M-maybe yer dad should do that." Sheriff said, shifting uncomfortably on the lift.

Harley moved out from underneath him and raised an eyebrow at the Mercury. "You'd rather stay in the hospital longer?"

Sheriff huffed. "No."

"Good." Harley nodded. "Now hold still, it should be a simple fix." Her eyes caught sight of the clock on the wall. "Uh oh. Daddy, 7 a.m. in ten."

Doc and Sheriff glanced at the clock, realizing the morning wake-up call would soon arise. The three of them waited patiently, Harley silently counting down the last three seconds. Right on cue, the reveille began playing, followed by the loud blaring of _Star Spangled Banner_ on the electric guitar.

"Will you turn that disrespectful junk off?!"Sarge's voice shouted.

"Respect the classics, man!" Fillmore shouted back. "It's Hendrix!"

"Right on schedule." Harley rolled her eyes, pulling out her favorite wrench and moving under Sheriff again. Sheriff jerked a little when Harley touched his axles. "Sheriff, hold still! You're axles are sore because one of the bolts connecting your wheel to the axle is loose. I have to tighten it."

"Harley, I really don't think it's appropriate fer a young lady ta be starin' at a car's undercarriage." Sheriff said. "Much less a man's undercarriage."

"Why?" Harley shrugged, still working away.

"Well, lookin' at a car's undercarriage is like lookin' at a human who ain't wearin' clothes." Sheriff said.

"You've seen _me_ not wearing clothes." Harley shrugged.

"When ya were two and I was helpin' yer mom give ya a bath!" Sheriff protested.

Harley skated out and gave Sheriff a look. "I fail to see your point."

Sheriff rolled his eyes as Harley resumed working. "That's because yer Doc's daughter."

"You better believe it." Doc confirmed.

The three of them jumped a little when Lightning suddenly burst through the doors minutes later. "Hey, have you seen the Sheriff?" Lightning asked. Catching sight of the Sheriff's position, the stock car jumped and quickly averted his eyes.

"Hey, what are you doin'?" Doc demanded.

"Get a good peek, city boy?" Sheriff snickered. He yelped when Harley knocked her wrench against his wheel.

"Sheriff, don't be crude." Harley scolded, sounding like a mother reprimanding her child.

Lightning stuttered a bit. "I just need my daily gas ration."

"Well wait at Flo's." Doc ordered. "Now get outta here."

Lightning glared. "I've been trying to get outta here for three days!" He reversed out in a hurry.

"Harley, why don't you go keep an eye on him?" Doc suggested. "Make sure he stays outta trouble."

"Yeah, then you can smack _him_ with a wrench." Sheriff chuckled.

Harley rolled her eyes. "Behave, Sheriff. One slip up and Doc could 'accidentally' kill ya." Sheriff laughed, but the laughs dwindled down at Harley's devious smirk, and he gulped. Harley laughed, tucking her small wrench into a pocket and skating from the clinic to search for Lightning. But, to her surprise, he seemed to have disappeared. "Now where did he go?" She murmured, looking around. To her horror, she noticed a red bumper disappearing into Doc's private shed around the back. "Hey!" Harley quietly called, not wanting Doc to hear her. She sped off after Lightning, pushing the shed doors open. "Hey, Speed Racer, you're not supposed to be in here."

Too late. Harley realized Lightning wasn't paying attention to her as he gawked at the Piston Cup sitting on the desk nearby. She knew he was most likely staring at the engraving on the cup: _Hudson Hornet. Champion. 1951._

"He has a Piston Cup?" Lightning breathed.

"You _really_ need to get out of here." Harley warned, desperate to get the stock car out before Doc found him. But Lightning caught sight of something else in the corner, and he moved over to discover two more Piston Cups, one for 1952 and for 1953, along with some old racing tires and a newspaper with a headline that read "Hudson Hornet: Champion for All Time!" The picture on the newspaper showed Doc Hudson, but he was much younger and smiling broadly and decorated with stickers.

"Three Piston Cups?" Lightning gasped softly.

Harley skated over to stand next to Lightning. "Hey, Speed Racer. If Doc finds you here he's gonna extend your sentence."

Lightning didn't respond for a moment. He caught sight of Harley's yellow T-shirt with the 51 on the front and cartoon hornet on one sleeve. "Did you know?"

Harley sighed. "Listen, Light—"

"Sign says 'stay out.'"

Harley and Lightning gasped and spun around to the door, where Doc stood and glared at them.

Lightning was the first to speak. "Y-you have three Piston Cups. How could you have—"

"I knew you couldn't drive. I didn't know you couldn't read." Doc growled, driving in and herding Lightning out the door again. Harley skated aside, her back hitting another desk.

Lightning's face broke into grins. "You're the Hudson Hornet!"

"Git over the Flo's!" Doc snapped, shoving Lightning out of the shed.

"Of course!" Lightning said, growing excited as he spun around to face Doc. "You're The Fabulous Hudson Hornet! You still hold the record for most wins in a single season. Oh, we gotta talk. You gotta show me your tricks, please!"

"I already tried that." Doc growled, backing up into the shed.

"You won the championship three times!" Lightning cried excitedly. "Look at those trophies!"

"You look!" Doc snapped. "All I see is a bunch of empty cups." He slammed the doors to the shed shut, leaving Lightning standing dumbfounded outside. He grumbled to himself as he turned, finding Harley still standing at the desk across the room. "I told you to watch him, not show him my past."

"Hey, don't think for one second I would do somethin' so stupid." Harley snapped. "The guy wandered in here on his own. But seriously, you didn't think he'd would recognize you sooner or later? You're a legend in racing; I bet he read all about you as a kid."

"Harley…" Doc warned, his tone dangerous.

Lightning's voice caught their attention, and they moved to the window nearby to see Lightning arrived at Flo's café next door. At first, there was silence at Lightning's revelation. Then, everyone burst into laughter. A new sound reached the shed, followed by the dings of the gas booth filling up a customer. Harley had to step onto an old tire to see over Mater and Sheriff, but she could just make out Sally as the Porsche began giving Lightning a full tank of gas. Harley and Doc couldn't hear much of the conversation, but they watched as Lightning received a full tank of gas and began following Sally out to the main road. He paused, turning and looking out at the open road leading from Radiator Springs. Sheriff rolled forward, lights clicked on and ready to give a chase, but Lightning suddenly turned and began following Sally the opposite way.

"Hey, can you believe it, man?" Ramone laughed in disbelief. "He actually thought Doc was a famous racecar!"

"I suppose next we're supposed to believe Harley's some secret agent." Sarge laughed, causing laughter from the other residents.

Doc blinked in surprise, then looked to the floor. Harley stared out the window for a moment, and then made a "hmph" sound. "And to think, all these years you kept that side of you hidden, and nobody even believes it in the first place."

Doc glared a bit at his daughter. "Why don't you go skate around town or somethin'?"

"While you what?" Harley demanded. "Wallow in your self-pity?"

"Harley….." Doc intoned, his voice dangerous again.

Harley stood firm. She was Doc Hudson's daughter after all. "I'm a kid, but I'm not stupid. I can see how much this hurts you, but you don't need to bottle up your emotions like this! Why can't you see that I'm here to help you?"

"I don't need help with anything." Doc snapped. "Now get out of here. You know I don't like anyone in my shed."

Harley huffed. "Fine." She skated towards the door, glaring. She opened the door, but paused and looked back to Doc with that glare still in her eyes. "You know, I don't think those are just empty cups." She jerked her head to the Piston Cup on the desk. "They may look that way to you, but I know different. Those trophies are more than just 'empty cups' or a prize for winning a race. They're the summary of a season's worth of great racing; they're part of the rewards and recognition for a job well done; they're proof that you know what you're doing and always will. Those trophies are _not_ empty cups. They're the things that show the world what I already know: that you really live up to your name, Fabulous Hudson Hornet."

Doc looked down, a frown on his lips, and Harley sighed. She pushed off, shutting the door behind her as she skated down to Flo's. Doc stared after her, sighing heavily.

"Hey there, Harley." Sheriff greeted. "Thanks fer your help this mornin'. I feel much better."

"Good." Harley nodded, putting on a smile. "Finally over the whole undercarriage thing?"

"Yeah, whatever." Sheriff chuckled.

"So what happened to Speed Racer?" Harley asked, even when already knowing the answer.

"He and Sally went fer a drive." Mater said, smirking. "Ye know, on a _date_."

Harley's nose scrunched up. "Gross."

"Someday, yer gonna get a boyfriend and I'm gonna hold that comment against ya." Sheriff warned.

"If she ever gets a boyfriend." Ramone corrected.

"Yeah." Sarge agreed. "He's gonna have to go through us first." Harley laughed along with the rest of the residents, but she couldn't help glancing towards the clinic now and then. She knew Doc hated talking about his racing, but Harley could see it was once a huge part of his past and who he was. It must've really hit hard when he was forced to retire because of the crash. Innocent as Harley was, Doc's story was her first introduction to the cruelty of other people and vehicles. She found it hard to believe such souls existed, especially given the ones she grew up with and raised her. But Doc had a passion for racing, just like Lightning. To be forced to give it up must've been devastating.

Still, Harley couldn't bring herself to confront Doc about it, and she and the residents went about their daily business. Harley did some figure skating across the new stretch of road, still amazed by the smoothness and how easily she could glide across the surface without hitting any bumps. When she grew bored with that, she decided to sit with Guido and read one of her books to him in Italian. Luigi complimented her on her language skills, Guido echoing his sentiments in his native tongue. Harley thanked them, though she could only owe her Italian language fluency to twelve years' worth of their Luigi and Guido's teachings. Harley chatted with the two Italian vehicles for a while before she realized something seemed to be missing. Looking around, she could see every resident save for Sally, Lightning…and Doc.

Harley kept looking, wondering if her father was just cruising around somewhere. But it soon became apparent that Doc was nowhere to be seen. Confused and a little concerned, Harley bid Guido and Luigi goodbye before skating off towards the clinic. But she couldn't find any trace of her father in the entire office nor the house attached to it. Concern growing, Harley quietly skated out and around the side towards the garage. The doors were still shut, so Harley silently removed her skates and tiptoed over. She held her breath, peering between the space between the double doors, and noticed Doc resting in the exact same spot she left him that morning. He stared off into space, his eyes glancing now and then to the newspaper framed on the wall. The cobalt blue Hornet sighed heavily, slumping down low on his axles. Harley stared sadly, unable to recall seeing Doc so upset. It made her heart heavy. Doc turned around, looking towards his Piston Cups in the corner. He stared at them for a long moment before his eyes moved to stare at the doors.

Crystal blue locked onto crystal blue.

Harley jumped a little as she hurried from the door, grabbing her skates before taking off down the road again. She slowed as she reached Flo's café, glancing back to find Doc wasn't following her. Sighing, she sat on the ground and laced her skates back on her feet. It didn't seem possible Doc was in that garage all day, but Harley wouldn't put it past him.

 _Just don't bother him._ Harley told herself. _You know how he is; he likes time to himself to think. He'll come out by lunchtime._

But Doc didn't come out at lunch. In fact, nobody saw him for most of the day, even at dinner. Finally deciding enough was enough, Harley put her dishes in the sink and skated out of the house and to the garage. She raised her fist to knock, hesitating slightly. But she gathered her courage and knocked.

"Hey Doc?" Harley called softly. "Can I come in?"

A pause, which Harley took as a "yes" and she pushed open the door. Slipping inside, she shut the door behind her and skated over to her surrogate father. He glanced at her to acknowledge her presence, but then resumed staring off into space. Harley pulled over a box and sat on it to stay eye-level with Doc. The two sat in silence for a while before Harley rested a hand on Doc's hood, rubbing the cobalt blue metal with her thumb.

"You haven't thought too much about your racing in a while, huh?" Harley guessed.

Doc sighed. "Every time I see you in that shirt, I think back to my racing. But no, I never thought so much about it because I got used to seeing you in that shirt almost every day. Then comes this….this reminder…."

 _Lightning._ Harley realized. "Doc, what if him coming here is a good thing?"

Doc stared at her. "You crazy? I found Radiator Springs because I was looking for a secluded place to _forget_ my past. It was dumb bad luck that he found this place."

"Is it?" Harley asked kindly. "I don't know how much I believe in fate and all that, but something tells me you weren't supposed to fully give up on that part of you. It's who you are."

"Not anymore, kiddo." Doc said, firmly but in a soft voice.

Harley sighed, not willing to argue with him. She loved him too much to force him through bad memories, even when she believed he could be happier embracing this reminder of his past. She patted Doc's hood, and he leaned into her touch. Harley smiled softly. "Wish I could've seen you actually race against him. I bet you would've mopped the floor with his fenders."

Doc smirked a little. "Yeah. The kid knows some stuff, but he ain't no dirt boy. A rookie through and through."

Harley laughed lightly. "Yeah. I guess so."

Doc stared at Harley for a moment. After the girl had discovered his past as a racer, she was so excited. It continued to amaze him, the similarities they shared despite the lack of blood/oil relationship. To keep Harley quiet, Doc had agreed to show her how he raced out on Willie's Butte. The girl couldn't even hold back her amazement at his skills.

 _It had been so long ago…_ Doc sighed. "Hey Harley. Do me a favor."

Harley perked up. "What's that?"

Doc gestured over to the dirt racing tires in the corner. "See them tires over there? Be a good girl and help me get them on."

Harley's entire face seemed to light up with excitement like turning on a flashlight, and she hurriedly skated over to the tires and pushed away the boxes, newspapers, and Piston Cup trophies. Doc chuckled in amusement as the young girl lifted the tires up and rolled them over to him. She whipped out her wrench, twirling it skillfully in one hand, and began unscrewing the bolts on Doc's wheels. It took several minutes to unhook and attach the racing tires, followed by another several minutes of Harley grabbing a can of air to blow up the tires a bit. But once Doc confirmed he was ready, he allowed Harley to skate beside him as they snuck out of the garage and made their way towards Willie's Butte. Nobody called out or tried to stop them, so they were confident nobody in town saw them leave. Doc moved rather slowly, but Harley's excited comments and hyperactive skating encouraged him on. They finally reached Willie's Butte and rolled down to the starting line.

"All right, now here's the thing." Doc said. "I don't want any cheering and don't tell me 'go.' Just let me drive. Sound good?"

"Okay!" Harley nodded, plopping down on one of the tires at the starting line and watching excitedly yet patiently.

Doc smirked, looking straight ahead. His face fell as memories came flooding back, and he slumped a little. _Can I really do this again? Do I still have it in me?_

Harley still waited patiently, watching Doc examine the track. _Come on, Daddy. I know you got this._

Doc continued to stare down the track, rubbing the dirt with one tire. He sighed heavily. _Am I really going to do this?_

 _Come on, Dad._ Harley pleaded.

Doc looked ahead, seeing nothing but clear road ahead of him. His eyes settled into a determined glare and he readied himself on his wheels. Then, to Harley's amazement, he kicked up his engine power. It didn't sound anything like the sputtering sound that came out during his race against Lightning. Doc revved his engine loudly, the black smoke coming from his tailpipe disappearing in seconds. He paused…..

…..then his wheels spun and he took off down the track.

Harley's eyes widened in amazement as she watched Doc not only speed down the straightaway but also loop up the quarter pipe made from the butte. He left a cloudy trail of dirt in his wake, smirking in ecstasy. He ran off the small ramps of the second straightaway, bounced a bit hard but sticking the landing and continuing on. Doc didn't slow down, coming up fast on the turn that made Lightning wreck so many times. In fact, he was _picking up speed_ as he came to the turn. Harley stared in excited anticipation, waiting for the moment of truth.

Doc turned his wheels hard to the left. A second later, he jerked his wheels to the right and forced his body to spin around to be perpendicular to the track. He skidded, practically gliding, across the dirt, perfectly balanced and in control. Once he made the turn, he shot off again and raced past the finish line. Harley giggled as a cloud of dust washed over her. Doc turned and skidded to a halt, not even using his brakes.

The dust finally settled and Doc sighed, smiling. "Yeah…." He glanced back to see Harley was holding her hands over her mouth, looking ready to burst. He rolled his eyes. "All right. Let it out."

She did. _"And the crowd goes wild!"_ Harley cheered loudly, standing and skating around excitedly. She whooped and laughed, causing Doc to chuckle amusedly. Harley continued to cheer. "The Fabulous Hudson Hornet has done it again! He is the champion for all time!" She smirked as she rolled up beside her father. "Even if he is a little rusty."

"Rusty?" Doc scoffed. "Please! I haven't raced since the fifties but that doesn't mean I've lost my touch!"

"You think so?" Harley smirked craftily. "Then let's see you beat me: the Junior Hornet!"

"Junior Hornet?" Doc chuckled.

"I _am_ your daughter." Harley smiled proudly, showing off the hornet cartoon on her shoulder sleeve. "Come on, old man. You afraid to get beat by a kid?"

"Oh, you're gonna regret that!" Doc warned. "Ready? Go!" He took off down the road again, leaving Harley to scramble to catch up.

"Hey! You got a head start!" Harley complained, skating after the Hornet.

Doc laughed as he kept his speed down, allowing himself to run at the same speed as Harley skated. "Oh yeah? That's how racin' works, kiddo. Sometimes you gotta start at the back and work your way to the top."

"Like this?" Harley picked up speed, darting ahead of Doc.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" Doc laughed, driving a little faster. The two of them pushed each other teasingly, laughing.

"They're side-by-side as they come to the final turn!" Harley called. "The death trap turn!"

"The Dirt Master speeds up!" Doc laughed, going around the turn with ease. "There's no way the Junior Hornet can make it through!"

"We'll see 'bout that!" Harley skated as fast as she could, turning her skates to make a hard left turn. Harley repositioned her skates to make a right turn, drifting the same way Doc did and making the turn. Harley continued on, and Doc began slowing down again.

"They're comin' up on the final stretch, and the Junior Hornet falls behind!" Doc warned.

"Think again!" Harley suddenly darted past him, jumping over the finish line so to not trip. "The Junior Hornet wins!"

"Oh no!" Doc cried exasperatedly. "The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, beaten by a mere child! My reputation's ruined!"

"Aw, it's okay." Harley teased, laughing. "Not everybody can be as smooth as me."

Doc smirked and jerked towards Harley, making her jump and trip to the ground. "Oh yeah?" Doc laughed, driving over and nuzzling her stomach. "How smooth do ya think ya are now?"

"Stop it!" Harley giggled furiously. "Doc! Daddy, come on!" Doc laughed as he backed off, lifting Harley up with a tire. The girl still giggled, hugging Doc and resting her head on his hood. Doc smiled warmly, nuzzling her.

"Not bad, kid."

Doc and Harley gasped and looked up to see Lightning approached them. He was smiling broadly. "And Doc, you're amazing!"

Doc glared, his tires kicking up dirt as he sped off. Harley barely had time to grab one of his side view mirrors as he drove off, taking the girl with him. She held on tightly, wondering if Doc even noticed she was hanging on. "Doc, slow down!" Harley called. But Doc seemed to go faster, right into town and straight to his garage. Harley managed to stop herself before she crashed into a table, and she panted a bit. The doors to the garage almost slammed shut before Lightning appeared, pushing them open again.

"Doc, hold it!" Lightning pleaded. "Seriously, your driving's incredible!"

"Wonderful." Doc growled, facing the corner. "Now go away."

"No, really, you've still got it!" Lightning insisted, driving into the garage to approach Doc. Harley skated out of the way to the other side of the garage, closer to the door.

"I'm askin' you to leave." Doc ordered.

"Doc, listen!" Lightning reasoned. "I'm a racecar you're…..a much older racecar, but under the hood you and I are the same!"

"We are _not_ the same!" Doc snapped, backing up and out the door. "Understand? Now get out."

Lightning spun around to stare at Doc in shock. "How could a car like you quit at the top of your game?"

Doc and Harley froze, the latter staring at her father and praying his hood didn't explode in anger. But Doc only rolled forward a few feet and glared at Lightning. "You think I quit?" He glanced to the wall before moving to a switch to turn on the light. Harley didn't need to look, but Lightning glanced up to see a newspaper in a frame. The main headline read "CRASH! HUDSON HORNET OUT FOR SEASON." Two pictures rested on the page, but the one that caught Lightning's attention (and had caught Harley's when she first saw it) was the picture of Doc in a crumpled heap. Even with Lightning's rookie experience, he had never seen someone so beat up from a crash. Doc's entire body had apparently been crushed and crumpled, with no smooth surfaces left. His racing stickers and paint were scratched. The picture even caught the steam sneaking out of the destroyed car's hood. It was hard to believe the car standing before Lightning was the same car in the picture.

"Right." Lightning breathed. "Your big wreck in '54."

" _They_ quit on _me._ " Doc explained, a soft snarl in his voice. "When I finally got put together, I went back expecting a big welcome. You know what they said? 'You're history.' Moved right on to the next rookie standing in line." Doc's face fell, his anger replaced by sadness. "There was a lot left in me. I never got a chance to show 'em." He glared again, anger returning as he gestured to the newspaper. "I keep that to remind me never to go back. I just never expected that that world would…would find me here."

Lightning glanced at the newspaper before turning to Doc. "Hey, I'm not them."

"When is the last time you cared about something except yourself, hot rod?" Doc growled. "You name me one time, and I will take it all back." Lightning opened his mouth, but came to the crushing realization that everything he did, he did for the sake of his racing. Doc cast a knowing look. "I didn't think so." Lightning slumped on his tires a bit, looking shameful. Doc looked up to Harley before gesturing out towards Radiator Springs. "These are good folk around here, who care about one another. I don't want 'em depending on someone they can't count on."

Lightning glared. "Oh, like you? You've been here how long and your friends don't even know who you are? Is Harley really the only one who knows about this?" Doc reversed, looking insulted, but Lightning wouldn't be deterred this time. "Who's caring about only himself?"

Doc returned the glare, only harsher. "Just finish that road and get outta here! Harley, let's go."

"Coming." It was the first time Harley spoke during the entire conversation. She turned and skated out to follow Doc down the road.

"Harley! Harley!" Lightning called, driving out to the road and staring after the girl and the former racer. The girl paused at the sound of him calling her name. "Harley, you know I'm right, don't you? Come on, you can't possibly think Doc can just hide this forever."

"Don't you _dare_ drag her into this!" Doc snarled.

Harley held up a hand to stop Doc, turning to face Lightning. He was surprised to find an almost hateful glare in her eyes. Harley readjusted her glasses before speaking. "Why do you care, Speed Racer?" She seemed to spit out that last word like it was a bad taste in her mouth. "Ever since you got here, you've been doing what you could to leave. You can't honestly tell me you've had a change of heart and you actually care."

Lightning stared at Harley with a look of pleading. "Harley, I just—"

"You don't belong here. You _never_ belonged here." Harley said harshly. "So go on and fix the road so you can leave, just like you always wanted. You really think anyone's going to miss you when you're gone? Even Mater?" Lightning cringed, looking hurt. Harley refused to back down. "When you leave, things will go back to the way they used to be before you ever came. So just go; by the time you'll get to California, you'll have forgotten about us anyway. And we'll have all forgotten about you."

Lightning glared a little. "Even you?"

Harley looked down, but still glared at Lightning. " _Especially_ me." She turned and skated towards her father, the two of them heading back home. Harley stared at the ground, blinking furiously to hide her tears.

Lightning stared after them for a moment before looking back into the garage and towards the newspaper showing Doc's crash. Something churned in his stomach at the thought of leaving Radiator Springs. But Harley had a point; he was so close to being done, and then he could finally leave and get to that race. So why did he feel so conflicted over leaving like this? The red stock car sighed, pressing the button to turn off the light and shutting the doors of the garage.


	7. C: To Stay or Not To Stay

Chapter Seven: To Stay or Not To Stay

When Harley and Doc headed out to check on Lightning's progress, they found Mater parked at the end of the construction zone. A sheet of sleek asphalt stopped in a clean line at the "End Construction Zone" signs. Doc and Harley rolled up beside Mater.

"He's done." Mater realized. "He must've finished it while we was all sleepin'."

"Good riddance." Doc muttered, driving off. Harley stayed behind, watching as the rest of the Radiator Springs' residents came out to join them. They all stared off into the distance with sad looks, realizing what happened. Harley sighed softly, her heart heavy. Her words from yesterday echoed in her skull. _Geez I can be a jerk sometimes._ Her heart felt a little torn. While she grew to actually like the red stock car, he seemed to make her father rather upset. She knew if she said what she said, he would leave. She felt half of her want to call Lightning back, but the other half wanted him to stay away to make Doc happy.

Sheriff sniffled a bit. Ramone cast a sympathetic look to the police car. "Oh, dude. Are you crying?"

Sheriff blinked, his voice rough but stern. "No! I'm happy! I don't have to watch him every second of the day anymore. I'm _glad_ he's gone!" Red instantly began blubbering, and he started sobbing as he took off.

"What's wrong with Red?"

Everyone jumped and turned to see a familiar red stock car. Most of the townsfolk smiled warmly, but Mater didn't seem exactly excited as he explained Red's sadness. "Oh, he's jus' sad 'cause you left town and when ta your big race ta win the Piston Cup that you've always dreamed about yer whole life and git that big ol' sponsor and that fancy heli-copter you was talkin' about." He stared at Lightning, the stock car smirking.

"Three, two, one." Harley counted.

At the end of her counting, Mater brightened up with a gasp. "Wait a minute!" Everyone laughed, some of them shaking their hoods. "I knowed you wouldn't leave without sayin' goodbye!" Mater nudged Lightning teasingly.

"You stuck around to say goodbye?" Harley asked, eyebrow raised.

"What's the matter, Harley? You miss me?" Lightning asked with a soft smile. Harley looked down, but smiled softly back.

"What're you doin' here, son?" Sheriff asked. "Don't worry. I'll give you a police escort, and we'll get ya to yer race as soon as possible." He clicked on his light and began driving down the road.

"Thank you, Sheriff." Lightning said, hardly moving. "But you know I can't go just yet."

Sheriff paused, turning to stare at him in surprise. "Why not?"

"I'm not sure these _tires_ ….." Lightning said, causing Luigi to gasp excitedly. "….can get me all the way to California."

"Peet stop?" Guido asked.

"Yeah, does anybody know what time Luigi's opens?" Lightning called.

Within five minutes, Lightning was in Luigi and Guido's shop while everyone else gathered outside. Harley noticed Sally coming over to investigate the commotion. "Sally! Come check this out!" The Porsche drove over, parking next to Flo and blinking in surprise at the sight of Lightning in the store. Harley heard the sound of someone else's tires on the road and turned to see Doc was rolling up. He raised himself up a bit on his axles to stare suspiciously into the shop. Harley could hear Luigi talking excitedly, something about whitewall tires, and Lightning agreeing with him. The girl looked to Doc, but blinked in surprise when she saw him glare and snarl a bit as he turned and drove off.

 _Uh oh._ Harley thought. She snuck away from the crowd and hurriedly followed Doc back home. "Hey Doc! What's up?"

"What's up is that car's gonna kill me with his idiocy." Doc growled.

"Oh come on, he's doing something good for the town, isn't he?" Harley reasoned.

"You think any of that is sincere?" Doc scoffed.

"Well, it looks like it." Harley shrugged.

"All he's doing is testing my patience." Doc insisted stubbornly, driving into the kitchen.

Harley bit her lower lip. She never argued with Doc much; never found a reason to until now. She took a breath and rolled into the kitchen, leaning on the refrigerator door as Doc pulled out the iced tea. "Or…maybe your talk knocked more sense into him than I could with a shovel."

Doc stared at Harley for a moment before shutting the fridge door and turning to find a cup. "I don't think so, sweetheart. I know his type." He paused, staring off into space. "I should know…"

Harley looked down, but nodded. "Okay. If you say so. But I'm afraid that's not going to get him out of town sooner." She skated off, plopping down on the couch with her book. Doc left the house several minutes later, most likely to take a drive to clear his thoughts, and Harley sighed. She set her book aside and turned on the TV, scrolling through the channels with a bored look. She knew Doc was adamant about getting Lightning out of here, but he couldn't exactly force him out. His need to get to his big race used to be the main motivator, but now it seemed Lightning couldn't care less. It was quite the improvement on his character, but Harley began to wonder if it was really for the best considering his effect on Doc.

"… _..search for Lightning McQueen…"_

Harley jumped a bit, jolted from her thoughts, and she hurriedly flipped back a channel. A reporter was talking about McQueen, with a picture of the racecar in the corner of the screen with the word _MISSING_ stamped across it. Harley scooted forward, eyes glued to the screen.

" _With the race for the Piston Cup fast approaching, people are beginning to wonder if the rookie will have to be disqualified by default. Search efforts are getting desperate, and some are fearing foul play may have been involved in McQueen's disappearance. With no word whatsoever, it's hard to determine just what happened to the racer. News stations across the country are asking that if anyone sees Lightning McQueen to call the number on the screen."_

Harley quickly grabbed a pencil and notebook on the coffee table and scribbled down the number on the screen just before the story switched over to a new story. Harley stared at the phone number, her mind racing. _This is it. This is how we can get Lightning out of town. When he realizes everyone's looking for him, he'll go racing back to win that Piston Cup!_ Harley looked around for the phone, but suddenly paused. She stared at the number for a moment before setting the notebook on the ground. Sighing, the girl leaned back to rest her back against the couch. She stared off into space, the sound of the TV hardly heard.

She had the means. So why couldn't she bring herself to call them? This was Lightning's big race; the one thing he always dreamed about. He could leave, go to his race, and be happy. Then he'd never come back, which would make Doc happy. A win-win. Didn't Lightning want to go anyway?

Didn't he?

Harley suddenly stood and skated out the door. She almost ran into Doc on the way, skidding to a halt. "Sorry, Dad."

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Doc asked.

"Just going skating for a while." Harley shrugged. "See ya!" She gave him a quick kiss before skating off, hoping she wasn't going so fast Doc would suspect anything. She noticed Lightning going into Lizzie's shop, clearly making his way into every store still open in town. She grinned a bit, seeing that genuine smile on Lightning's face. The racecar noticed Harley and gave a small wave. Harley waved back, still smiling as she watched Lightning disappear into the shop. But her face fell as she continued down the road. The smoothness of the new road didn't excite her this time as she found her way to the remains of her house. She sat on the ground, curling into a ball and staring off into space.

Why was she so conflicted over this? Didn't she want things to go back to normal? Then again, Lightning was beginning to feel like a part of the town already. Maybe the red stock car didn't even know it yet, but he had unintentionally wormed his way into Harley's heart. Suddenly, the thought of Lightning leaving made Harley very sad. But she thought back to Lightning's race. The race for the Piston Cup. The way he described it two nights ago made it clear how passionate he felt about it. What right did Harley have to keep him from his dream? But if he willingly chose to stay, risking the fact that he could miss his race, what did that say about him? What about Doc? Harley grew to care about Lightning, but ultimately she loved Doc more. He was her father; he took her in without a second thought after the fire. Harley couldn't find a single thing wrong with her life, so she made it her job to make sure Doc was happy. Lightning being here only made him more and more upset, and Harley just couldn't have that. But what about Lightning's happiness? What about _Harley's_ own happiness? Well, she was happy as long as her friends and family were happy. But how could she choose between helping Lightning stay and forcing him to leave for the sake of her father?

Harley sighed heavily. "Man, I'm too young to be thinking about this."

* * *

Harley ended up staying at the remains of her home for the rest of the day, not returning to town until it got significantly dark. She skated down the street, looking around before discovering most of the residents standing outside Ramone's shop.

"Hey there, Harley!" Sheriff greeted. "Where ya been?"

"Just around." Harley shrugged. _I've got to ask him now. It's his decision, but he has to know he still has the option of leaving before he misses the race._ "Say, where's Speed Racer? I gotta talk to him."

"Here she comes!" Mater suddenly called, alerting everyone to their positions in front of Ramone's shop. Harley heard Lightning's voice, but couldn't get a word in before Sheriff hurriedly pulled her beside him, everyone trying to act natural as Sally approached. Everyone greeted Sally warmly, but the Porsche instantly caught on.

"All right, what's goin' on?" Sally asked as she approached.

"Ladies an' gentlecars!" Mater announced. "Please welcome the new Lightning McQueen!" He and the rest of the residents moved back to allow Lightning to exit Ramone's shop, and Harley blinked in surprise to see the racecar had a new, sparkling red paintjob complete with lightning bolts on white spots and whitewall tires.

"Whoa." Harley breathed.

Lighting smirked as he approached Sally. "What do you think? Radiator Springs looks pretty good on me."

"I'll say." Sally laughed, purring a bit as Lightning circled her. "You're gonna fit right in in California. It looks like you've helped everybody in town."

"Yeah, everybody except one." Lightning noted. "Hey, is it getting dark out?"

"What?" Lizzie asked. "What did he say?"

"Let me say that again." Lightning raised his voice. "Is it getting dark out?"

"Now what was I supposed to do after that?" Lizzie asked herself, only for Red to quickly turn on her radio and kick up the volume.

As the music played from the speakers, Harley watched in amazement as neon lights flickered on across the entire town, lighting up the street perfectly as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Her jaw dropped, staring at the bright lights of the town as the residents flipped them on, one by one. She giggled at the sight of the townsfolk beginning to drive around the street, bouncing to the music as they celebrated. Harley, completely forgetting what she wanted to ask Lightning, hopped onto Red as he passed by to join in. She laughed with joy as Red bounced, the young girl hanging onto his ladder to not fall off. Her eyes sparked in the lights as the glow bounced off her glasses, illuminating the night. Even some of the parties the town threw in the past were never this lively; at least, none of the parties Harley attended. _If only my parents could see me now._ Harley sighed, still hanging onto Red. _If only they could see the town now. I bet Stanley's real proud of us._

"Psst, Sissy!" Mater called softly. "C'mere! Come help me with somethin'!" He moved to drive behind Red, allowing Harley to jump onto his roof and listen to his plan. She giggled furiously as they drove/skated off towards where Lizzie had dragged Lightning to during their cruise. Harley skated into Lightning's line of sight, distracting him long enough for Mater to hook the stock car and begin towing him down the street with Harley circling them. She winked at the racecar as Mater dropped him off, right next to Sally.

"Thanks Mater!" Sally called.

"Good evenin' you two!" Mater said slyly as he drove off. Harley laughed, skating away to join the townsfolk once more.

Sheriff smiled warmly as Harley moved to skate beside him. "What do you think, kiddo? Look pretty nice?"

"No." Harley shrugged and shook her head. "It looks amazing." She nudged Sheriff playfully, the two of them chuckling.

"Is that what I think it is?" Flo suddenly piped up, gathering everyone's interest to the edge of town.

Everyone followed Flo's gaze to see a swarm of headlights in the near distance. "Customers?" Sally gasped.

"Customers, everybody!" Flo called. "And a lot of 'em! You know what to do. Just like we rehearsed."

"Anybody else hear somethin' weird?" Harley asked as she skated up beside Lightning.

A bright light suddenly flashed on, shining right on Lightning and Harley and making everyone jump.

"It's the Ghost Light!" Mater whimpered.

Harley squinted through the light to see a pair of helicopters in the sky, vaguely hearing one of them say "We have found McQueen!" over the sound of the rotors. In a matter of seconds, Lightning and Harley found themselves surrounded by cars, now revealed to be reporters, who started snapping pictures and asking a thousand questions at once. Sally and the residents were inadvertently pushed back as the media began to almost swarm them as well. Harley pushed herself against Lightning, her eyes beginning to sting from the camera flashes.

"Sally!" Lightning called, trying to see the Porsche amongst the dozens of reporters and cameras around him. "Sally!"

"Hey, take it easy with those things!" Harley snapped. "I'm already half-blind!" Suddenly, a car began complaining she was in the shot and shoved the girl to one side. Harley hit the asphalt hard, curling up in a ball as the cars swarmed around her.

"Hey!" Lightning revved his engine as loud as he could, forcing the reporters to back up in surprise. Lightning pushed through them to approach Harley, staring at her worriedly. "Harley! Harley, you okay?"

"I'm fine." Harley nodded, sitting up but not quite brave enough to stand yet. Suddenly, the sound of a loud truck horn rang out, and the reporters scattered as a huge, red semi-truck approached.

"You're here!" the semi called. "Thank the Manufacturer! You're alive!"

"Mack?" Lightning asked, looking surprised but nonetheless excited to see his friend. Harley finally stood and followed Lightning as Mack looped around to talk to him.

"You're here!" Mack cried happily. "You are a sight for sore headlights! I'm so sorry I lost you, boss."

Lighting still smiled, despite being a little overwhelmed by everything. "Mack, I can't believe you're here."

"And who's this little cutie?" Mack asked, looking to Harley. The 12-year-old stuck close to Lightning, a little overwhelmed and terrified at the moment and wishing Doc could be there with her. She wanted to find Sheriff or Mater, but no way was she going to fight through the sea of reporters between her and her family. So Lightning was the next best thing.

"This is Harley." Lightning introduced. "Harley, this is Mack. He's a good buddy of mine."

"Um, hi." Harley waved shyly.

"Well hello there!" Mack greeted, albeit loudly. "Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing?" Harley blushed madly, giggling a bit.

" _Is that the world's fastest racing machine?"_

Lighting paused. "Is that Harv?"

"Yeah. He's in the back." Mack said, unhooking from his trailer. He pushed his way between the reporters and the trailer, giving Lightning and Harley a chance of privacy. Harley still stuck close to Lightning, wondering who this Harv guy could be.

"Harv!" Lightning called excitedly as the trailer door lowered. But it was empty. "Harv?"

A square-shaped phone popped out from the wall. _"Kid, I'm over here!"_ A voice called from the phone. Based on the name on the caller I.D., Harley could guess this was Harv.

"How you doin', buddy?" Lightning asked.

" _My star client disappears off the face of the earth!"_ Harv shouted. _"How do you think I'm doing?"_

"Harv, I can explain." Lightning said.

" _I'm doing great!"_ Harv said suddenly. _"You're everywhere, baby! Radio, TV, the papers! You can't buy this kind of publicity! Where are you? I can't even find you on my GPS."_

"I'm in this little town called Radiator Springs." Lightning explained, sounding excited. "You know, Route 66? It's still here!"

" _Yeah, that's great, kid."_ Harv said, sounding bored. Harley frowned, not liking the sound of this Harv fellow. _"Playtime is over, pal. While the world's been trying to find you, Dinoco has had no one to woo. Who are they gonna woo?"_

"Chick." Lightning muttered bitterly.

" _Bingo."_ Harv confirmed. _"In fact, check out the plasma."_

Lightning and Harley looked up to see a green racecar covered bumper to bumper in stickers, being interviewed by the press. The reporters began asking for the "thunder," which turned out to be the green racecar (Harley assumed to be Chick) flashing light off a sticker on his fender shaped like a cloud with a lightning bolt and a C. He began chanting "Ka-chicka!" quite obnoxiously.

"Hey!" Lightning whined. "That's _my_ bit."

" _You've gotta get to Cali, pronto!"_ Harv urged. _"Just get out of Radiation Stinks now, or Dinoco is history. You hear me?"_

"It's Radiator Springs, and all I hear is a jackwagon who needs a serious head gasket check." Harley snapped sassily.

" _Who the heck is that?"_ Harv asked.

"None of your car wax, punk!" Harley growled. "Honestly, the very sound of your voice is like a knife to my brain!"

"Harley, let me handle this." Lightning requested, staring at something around the side of his trailer.

" _Kid, didn't you hear me?"_ Harv said. _"You need to be in Cali like five minutes ago."_

"Just give me a second here, Harv." Lightning said, rolling around the side of his trailer and ignoring Harv's protests. Harley stared at the inside of Lightning's trailer for a moment before wheeling around to stand in front of Mack.

"Hey, big fella." Harley caught the truck's attention. "Is this legit? Has the entire world really been searching for him?"

"Of course!" Mack nodded. "The guy's a legend in the making. Why _wouldn't_ they search for him?"

"Legend in the making?" Harley repeated.

"Well, you certainly don't get this kind of attention for being a regular racer." Mack pointed out.

"But how did you…how did all of you find him?" Harley wondered aloud. "This town is practically in the middle of nowhere. You don't find this place unless someone gives you directions."

"We _did_ get a phone call that tipped us off." Mack said. He jumped when Harv suddenly shouted for him, and he turned his focus to the man on the phone.

Harley stared at the ground. _A phone call tip? But who could've known Lightning was here_ and _know the number to call? Unless…_ Harley's eyes widened. "Oh no." She turned and began skating off towards the clinic, only to skid to a halt and see Lightning being forcefully herded into his trailer. Panic seized Harley as she resumed her skating. _I left the notebook with the phone number out in the open! Somebody must've seen it! Maybe one of the townsfolk saw it and accidentally gave away Lightning's location._ She noticed Doc coming out of the clinic and she skidded to a halt beside him. "Doc! Doc, they're making him leave!"

"Hey." Doc and Harley turned to see an aqua-colored car approach them. "Are you Doc Hudson?"

"Yeah." Doc confirmed.

"Thanks for the call." The car said before driving off to join the reporters following Lightning's trailer.

Harley stared at Doc, mentally kicking herself for not realizing who the culprit could've been sooner. _Well, I_ did _want to call them for Doc's sake anyway._

Doc and Harley suddenly spotted someone else before them: Sally, with a look of shock on her face. " _You_ called them?" Sally asked, focusing on Doc.

"It's best for everyone, Sally." Doc reasoned.

"Best for everyone?" Sally scoffed. "Or best for _you_?" She glared a little as she drove off. Doc glared a bit, but her words hit him hard as he and Harley moved out to the main road. The entire town gathered as they watched Lightning's trailer leave. Sally drove after the trailer and swarm of reporters, stopping at the Cozy Cone and watching the lights disappear into the distance. It seemed everyone except Doc and Harley were staring sadly at the departing racecar.

"I didn't git ta say goodbye to him." Mater finally said, sorrow in his voice.

Doc blinked in surprise, not expecting that reaction from Lightning leaving the town. Everyone watched Sally stare at the departing trailer for a moment before slowly making her way into the Cozy Cone, switching off the lights. Doc tried to keep his casual glare, a look he often wore, but couldn't help but stare as the residents slowly began making their way to their homes. Everyone was slumped low on their axles and wheels, staring at the ground. One by one, the neon lights of the shops began to flicker off as the residents shut off the power. Soon, the entire town went completely dark, seeming to blend into the landscape and disappear completely just as it seemed to do when the Interstate opened. Only the streetlamps provided dim lighting to show there was still a town. Doc was alone now, with only Harley by his side. The blinking yellow traffic light clicked on and off, periodically bathing the two in a golden glow. Doc stared up at the light for a moment before slumping down, regret filling him.

Harley sighed, resting a hand on Doc's side. "I'm not angry, you know. I was planning to call them anyway."

Doc didn't answer. He didn't even look at Harley.

"Just…..I gotta know something." Harley said. "I know you called them because Lightning had an effect on you. Clearly a negative one based on your reaction. I just want to know this: did he remind you of your racing past, or did he remind you of yourself?"

Now Doc looked to Harley. The two stayed locked eyes for a moment before Doc closed his eyes and sighed the heaviest sigh he ever let out. Harley sighed too, nuzzling her head against Doc's side.

* * *

Harley jerked awake the next morning to the sound of someone knocking hurriedly on her window. She groaned, irritation building. She was already in a bad enough mood considering what happened last night caused her to lose sleep. She tried pulling her pillow over her head, but the knocking continued. "Chrysler in heaven….." Harley growled, grabbing her glasses and pulling them on. She crawled across her bed and saw a tow hook outside the glass. She pushed her window open, sticking her torso out. "Mater, Ford damn you! It is too early in the morning for your tomfoolery!" Indeed it was; it was barely dawn.

"Harley, I'm goin' after him." Mater said firmly, not seeming to notice Harley's harsh language.

Harley blinked. "Speed Racer?"

"I didn't git ta say goodbye!" Mater nodded. "And I didn't want 'im ta leave! I was gunna teach him ta drive backwards!"

"So why are you telling _me_ this?" Harley asked curiously. "Go after him."

"I want ya to come with me!" Mater insisted. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

Harley thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Let's go!" She hurriedly but quietly jumped out of bed and changed her clothes. She snuck out of the clinic, careful to not wake Doc, and jumped into the back of Mater's flatbed, hanging onto his tow cable as he sped off. Harley knew when Doc found out he was going to kill her, but ultimately this felt like the right decision to make. She stared back as the town got smaller and smaller before disappearing in the distance. She felt a twinge of fear, having never left Radiator Springs before, but she shook it off as Mater picked up speed. "Mater, you _do_ know where we're goin', right?"

"Uh, yeah!" Mater said, not sounding very convincing. "Don' worry. We'll be fine!" He continued down the road not pausing for a moment. But after a few minutes, they heard police sirens behind them.

"Oh great!" Harley groaned as Mater slowed down. But they blinked in surprise to see a several familiar faces pull up. "Sheriff? Doc? What's going on?" She stared at what looked like the entire town of Radiator Springs pulling up, with the exception of Sally, Lizzie, and Red.

"Well, I'm goin' to assume you're headin' to the race." Sheriff guessed with a smirk.

"We gotta git ta McQueen!" Mater insisted. "I gotta tell 'im goodbye!"

"Mater, you're not goin' anywhere. Especially not with Harley." Doc said firmly.

"Doc—" Harley protested.

"You're not goin' anywhere….without the rest of us." Doc finished, smirking. Harley and Mater blinked in surprise, and suddenly Harley caught sight of Doc decked out in his old racing stickers. She smiled broadly and nodded. Doc matched her smile as he pulled up. "All right, let's pick up the pace!" Doc called as he and Sheriff led the way down the road. "We got a race to catch!" The group cheered as Sheriff lit up his siren to allow them to speed down the road.

 _We're comin', Lightning._ Harley thought happily as the wind sent her short hair billowing behind her.


	8. C: The Piston Cup

**A/N: So since I'm assuming you guys are liking this story, I'll upload the rest of Part One today. I also included a story summary on chapter one and I will put up part two in a few days!**

 **Read and review! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Chapter Eight: The Piston Cup

Lightning tried to stay focused as he prepared to race. He even got his new paintjob washed off to show his old racing colors and stickers. But no matter what he did, he could only think back to his memories of Sally and his time in Radiator Springs. He was even beginning to miss Harley calling him "Speed Racer." Mack graciously offered to be Lightning's pit crew and crew chief, and Lightning found he had missed the goofy semi. Everyone, press and spectators alike, were talking about his sudden disappearance and reappearance, but he tried to tune it all out so he could focus on the race. It was the Piston Cup. It was his dream. His chance to show everyone he could land the championship, a new sponsor, and the title of Rookie of the Year in one sitting. It was the one thing he had been wanting more than anything else in his entire life.

And he was next to miserable.

Lightning grunted a bit in pain when a light flashed into his eyes, and he glared in annoyance at Chick flashing his reflective sticker and laughing. _As if this day couldn't get worse._ Lightning thought bitterly as he, Chick, and The King rolled out on the track and towards the starting line. Chick began rambling on about something, but Lightning couldn't exactly hear him as his thoughts wandered back to his drive with Sally. Was she missing him right now? Most likely not. Or was she? After all, she seemed at least a little upset when he was forced to leave.

A green flag flashed.

Lightning blinked in surprise to discover the race was starting, and The King and Chick were already on their way. "Shoot!" Lightning hissed, speeding up to catch up with the other two cars. He was still at least a hundred feet behind Chick, The King holding a slim lead as fifty laps passed. Only one hundred and fifty to go. Lightning picked up speed, coming up on Chick. He moved to the inside, hoping to pass Chick and catch up with The King. But he was so focused on the blue racecar he didn't see Chick coming until the green racecar darted out and cut him off, forcing Lightning to brake a bit before resuming his speed. He mentally hit himself, trying to regain his focus on the race. _It's only two other racecars. You can do this!_ Lightning told himself, revving his engine hard and desperately trying to regain the ground he lost. He glared in determination, his eyes fully set on the two racecars in front of him…..

…..on Sally as the two of them drove casually through the forest to Wheel Well. Lightning smiled warmly, feeling the sun on his hood and the cool shade from the trees. Sally ran right through a deep puddle, aiming to splash the stock car…..

…..and when the "water" cleared Lightning was forced to swerve with tires squealing before he could hit a wall. He spun out into the infield, The King and Chick pulling far ahead as Lightning skidded to a halt.

It was useless. He just couldn't stop thinking about her and about all of them. He never should've tried to come to the stupid race. But, stubborn as he was, Lightning forced himself to go back out onto the track.

" _Hey kid, you all right?"_ Mack asked over the radio.

"I don't know, Mack." Lightning groaned. "I…..I don't think I…."

" _I didn't come all this way to see you quit."_

Lightning blinked in surprise, glancing towards the pits. "Doc?" He smiled broadly at the sight of not just Doc, but nearly everyone from Radiator Springs cheering him on in the pits. Even Harley rested on top of the crew chief platform, waving excitedly. "Guys! You're here! I can't believe this!"

"I knew you needed a crew chief, but I didn't know it was this bad." Doc spoke into the headset, a smirk on his lips.

" _I thought you said you'd never come back."_ Lightning noted, making a beeline for the pits.

"Well, I really didn't have a choice." Doc said. "Mater didn't get to say goodbye."

"Goodbye!" Mater called into the mic. "Okay. I'm good."

Lightning chuckled, pulling into the pits and stopping to allow Fillmore and Sarge to refuel him. Everyone greeted him warmly, but he focused on Doc. "All right, if you can drive as good as you can fix the road, then you can win this race with your eyes shut." Doc said with a determined smirk. "Not get back out there!"

Engine revving strongly, Lightning rocketed out of the pits and onto the track. "You go, Speed Racer!" Harley cheered.

"Hot snot, we are back in business!" Doc nodded in satisfaction. "Kid, you can beat these guys." Doc told Lightning. "Find the groove that works for ya and get that lap back." Lightning sped up, tearing down the track with renewed spirits. The fact that he was an entire lap down didn't seem to bother him in the least.

Harley noticed the pit crews for The King and Chick were staring at them, whispering and murmuring amongst themselves. Soon, it became apparent that they weren't staring at them; they were staring at _Doc_. Harley glanced up towards the big screen, finding the cameras were all pointed towards Doc, and she smiled broadly. Soon, the entire stadium had caught sight of the legendary Hudson Hornet, and a thunderous, excited cheer rang out.

Harley nudged Doc's wheel with her elbow. "Hey Doc. I think we just found your big welcome."

Doc didn't say anything, but he couldn't hide his warm smile.

It took several laps, but Lightning finally managed to pass the leaders and get into the lead lap. With only sixty laps to go, the pressure was on.

The laps kept going, and before they knew it only 25 laps were left by the time Lightning caught up with Chick and The King. Chick evidently saw Lightning coming up behind him, and he knocked against Lightning's back fender with just enough force to send Lightning spinning and fall back.

"Hey!" Harley snapped. "That's a cheap trick!" But she, like most everyone (especially Chick), were surprised to see Lightning suddenly reverse and go racing backwards to pass Chick.

"Whoa! Git-R-Done!" Mater laughed. Lightning spun around to face forward again, keeping his position amongst the leaders. Mater laughed again as he smirked proudly at a couple of Chick's pit crew. "I taught him that. Ka-chow!" He reflected sunlight off his mirror and into the men's faces, Harley giggling.

"Ten to go." Harley murmured, staring at the tower where the laps were being counted. "You got this, Speed Racer."

Lightning kept right behind The King, but he could hear Chick coming up behind him. He swerved across the track, keeping the green racecar behind him at all times. But Chick managed to get alongside him and suddenly rammed into the stock car. Lightning desperately tried to move away but heard a loud _Pop!_ Something flapped uselessly against his back fender, and he soon realized it was his tire.

" _Doc, I'm flat! I'm flat!"_ Lightning called, panicked.

"Can you get back to the pits?" Doc asked.

" _Yeah, yeah. I think so."_ Lightning confirmed.

"Yellow flag!" Harley called, pointing to the official at the finish line.

"Hey, got a yellow." Doc informed Lightning. "Bring it in. Don't tear yourself up, kid."

A pace car drove out in front of The King and Chick, slowing them down. But Mack voiced everyone's fears. "We gotta get him back out there fast or we're gonna be a lap down and we'll never win this race!"

Doc looked to the light blue forklift of the group. "Guido! It's time."

Guido put on an almost deadpan look, determination in his features as he gathered four tires and his drill. He ignored the taunts from Chick's pit crew, giving his drill a few whirrs. Lightning rolled into the pits, stopping right in front of Guido. Then, before everyone's eyes, Guido tossed the four tires up in the air. As each one fell, Guido unhooked the old tires and screwed on the new ones. There was a furious whirring of the drill as Guido managed to hook up new tires in four seconds flat, allowing Lightning to shoot out of the pits and back towards the track. Everyone watched anxiously, praying Lightning made it past the pace car. Doc held his breath. _Come on, kid._

Lightning put on an extra burst of speed, narrowly missing the pace car as he made it out.

Everyone cheered happily. Guido blew on the nozzle of his drill, looking to Chick's pit crew. "Peet stop."

The jaws of the humans in Chick's crew dropped and the grills of the green forklifts fell off as they stared at him in shock. The Radiator Springs' residents gathered around Guido, congratulating and complimenting him. Harley kissed his roof, hugging the forklift. The blue forklift only smiled proudly, with a look that seemed to say "Yes, I _am_ that cool."

Lightning rocketed out of the pits, the race resuming. It only took a few laps for Lightning to catch up with The King and Chick. Before anyone knew it, it was the final lap.

"This is it, kiddo." Doc told Lightning. "Drive it in deep and hope it sticks. Go!"

Lightning didn't hesitate to obey. He shot up towards Chick and The King, managing to avoid Chick's attempts to ram him and cause Chick to hit the wall. Lightning aimed his sights towards The King, picking up speed in hopes of catching the blue Superbird. But Chick suddenly came back and made a hard slam into Lightning, sending him into the grass of the infield. Chick hit The King in his whiplash, sending both of them skidding across the track in desperate attempts to regain control. Lightning felt his tires failing to grip the dirt, and his body swung to be perpendicular to the track as he desperately thought of how he could regain control.

" _Drift!"_ Harley suddenly shouted into his radio.

Lightning was confused for a moment, but blinked in realization. Grinning determinedly, Lightning jammed his tires hard to the right, still sliding across the dirt and grass. But he felt the pressure under his tires again as the force of his turned wheels helped him regain control. Doc felt another smile grow on his face as he watched Lightning execute the maneuver. Though the expert dirt racer knew Lightning could use a little work, he was still impressed by how quickly Lightning was able to adopt the technique and use it to guide himself back onto the asphalt. In fact, he managed to pull ahead of The King and gain the lead position.

"Float like a Cadillac." Doc said with a smirk.

"Sting like a Beemer!" Lightning cheered, giving it all he had to reach his top speed.

Behind him, The King smirked. Such a move clearly impressed the veteran racer. _If I'm gonna lose to anyone, I guess I'm honored to lose to you._

The entire Radiator Springs team cheered loudly, watching with excitement as Lightning rounded the final turn and sped towards the finish line and the Piston Cup.

"You go, Speed Racer!" Harley whooped, giving a loud whistle. But she caught sight of Chick and The King just in time to see Chick sideswipe The King, _hard_ , and send the blue Superbird suddenly go flying into the air. After a few tense seconds of being airborne, The King suddenly slammed into the infield and began tumbling and flipping. Harley gasped audibly, her hand flying to her mouth as she watched The King land hard on the grass, battered and damaged. The sight bore a shocking resemblance to a certain newspaper picture Harley had seen. "Doc, look!"

Doc followed her gaze and his eyes widened at the sight of The King. Almost the entire stadium seemed to go silent from what they just witnessed. Lightning smiled away, his excitement rising as he neared the finish line, but the sound of several gasps from the audience nearby made him turn his attention to the big screen. He gasped softly when he saw The King lying limply in the infield, his eyes fluttering open. But the more Lightning stared, the more he began to see the picture of a nearly destroyed Doc Hudson. In a flash, all the memories of what Doc told him came rushing back. It seemed like some sort of omen; that The King was doomed to this fate as well.

In racing, you have to make decisions in a split-second or something could go wrong. Lightning had learned to master this art of quick-thinking, to the point where he was able to make decisions in the blink of an eye and do so without any regrets.

So he didn't even hesitate when he slammed on his brakes.

The sound of screeching brakes rang out, and Lightning left a long trail of skid marks in his wake as he came to a halt just a foot away from the finish line. He glared hard, not even caring when Chick sped past him and began cheering about his victory. Literally the entire stadium had gone silent as every man, woman, and child, human and car alike, stared in confusion and shock. Lightning's engine idled as he stared off into space, the full weight of his simple action hitting him like a rock to the roof. Only, it felt more like a pebble. Lightning looked to the ground, then back towards The King as he switched gears and reversed to the damaged racecar.

The King winced in pain, staring at Lightning. "What are you doin', kid?"

"I think The King should finish his last race." Lightning said with a smile, gently pushing against The King's bumper and rolling him to the finish line.

"You just gave up the Piston Cup." The King noted. "You know that?"

"Eh, this grumpy old racecar I know once told me somethin'." Lightning said with a small shrug. "It's just an empty cup."

Doc smiled softly, staring at Lightning with pride in his eyes. Harley smirked, giving Doc a playful shove. Lightning and The King passed the finish line, and everyone erupted into cheers.

Harley smiled warmly, clapping. "Not bad, Speed Racer. Not bad at all."

* * *

The Radiator Springs' residents joined the Rust-Eze folks as Lightning approached the Dinoco tent, still pushing The King along. Harley crossed her arms and smiled proudly, noting the genuine smile on Lightning's lips again. _Something tells me he's going to be smiling like that more often._ She thought, waving as Lightning approached everyone. Everybody cheered for the red stock car, clearly proud, but Lightning remained mostly focused on Doc as he approached the older racecar.

Doc smiled proudly. "You got a lot of stuff, kid."

Lightning smiled back. "Thanks, Doc." He jumped a little when Harley skated over, hugging his hood and giving him a kiss on his side.

"I'll admit: that was some mighty fine racin'." Harley said.

Lightning smirked. "Not too shabby for a jackwagon, huh?"

Harley giggled, lightly punching Lightning's fender. "Hey, Lightnin'!" The stock car and brunette turned to see Tex, the head of the Dinoco company. "How 'bout comin' over here and talk to me a minute?"

"Come on, Harley." Lightning invited, to which Harley agreed as she skated alongside him.

"Son, that was some real racin' out there." Tex complimented Lightning. "How'd you like to become the new face of Dinoco?"

Lightning blinked in surprise, and Harley's face lit up. "Really?" The girl asked excitedly.

"Yeah, really." Tex nodded.

"But I didn't win." Lightning protested.

"Lightnin', there's a whole lot more to racin' than just winnin'." Tex said.

Harley looked to Lightning with excitement in her eyes. "Go for it!" She whispered. "It's what you've been dreaming about!"

Lightning smiled, amazed Harley could remember that. But he glanced back towards the Rust-Eze folks, who chatted and laughed with Mack and the Radiator Springs' cars. What he had been dreaming about? Well, maybe not so much seen as a dream anymore, but more like a simple goal. And was it really for the right reasons? Lightning cast a look to Harley, who blinked in confusion. She couldn't understand his hesitation. But Lightning just smiled again.

"Thank you, Mr. Tex, but….." Lightning stared at his current sponsor and team. "….but these Rust-Eze guys over there gave me my big break. I think I'm gonna stick with them."

"Even though they're rusty old cars?" Harley asked with a smirk.

"I hang out with you, and you're hair looks like rust under those streaks." Lightning noted, making Harley laugh. She smiled at him, almost seeming to cast a look of approval at Lightning's decision.

"Well, I sure can respect that." Tex agreed. "Still, if there's ever anything I can do for you, just let me know."

"I sure appreciate that, thank you." Lightning said sincerely. He smirked in remembrance. "Actually, there is _one_ thing."

* * *

"Whoo-hoo!" Mater cheered. "Hey, look at me! I'm flyin', by golly!"

"Yee-haw!" Harley whooped and laughed, hanging onto the seatbelt in the Dinoco helicopter as it flew around Radiator Springs. Tex had kindly agreed to Lightning's request to give Mater that helicopter ride he wanted. In fact, the helicopter topped off his fuel and offered to take Mater and Harley around as much as they'd like, even if it took the entire day. Needless to say, the duo were thrilled, especially as they soared over the town.

"I'm happier than a tornado in a trailer park!" Mater laughed.

Harley laughed along with him, leaning her face into the wind as they flew. Lightning had recently returned to Radiator Springs, getting his new paintjob again from Ramone and humbly asking Doc if he could stay for a while. Doc agreed without hesitation. Even he began to realize the town wasn't the same without Lightning.

Speaking of the red racer. "Hey! Kin we go up ta the Wheel Well?" Mater called to the helicopter.

"Just point me where to go!" the flying vehicle said.

"Isn't Speed Racer heading up there to find Sally?" Harley asked.

"You bet!" Mater nodded, an almost devilish smile on his face. Harley mirrored the look as the helicopter made its way to Wheel Well. "Ready, Sissy?" Mater asked as they began flying up to the cliff where Lightning and Sally would most likely be.

"Oh yeah!" Harley nodded, laughing. They finally reached the top of the cliff where, just as they predicted, Sally and Lightning rested just in front of the Wheel Well. Harley cupped her hands around her mouth so the two cars could better hear her sing-song voice. _"McQueen and Sally parked beneath the tree!"_

" _K-I-S-S…..uh…..I-N-T!"_ Mater finished.

"Great timing, Mater!" Lightning called.

"Hep-non, hip-hop, hi-li-lilly!" Mater cried happily as the helicopter took off. "Whee!"

Harley laughed, staring out at the landscape. _Things are gonna get a lot better now. I can feel it._

And they did. Lightning was true to the "rumor" that was spreading around and made Radiator Springs his racing headquarters. In no time, the town and Route 66, renamed Historic Route 66, were back on the map with an on-ramp connected the road to the Interstate. Within a matter of days, the town was back to its flourishing business environment. Harley spent almost a week hiding out in the clinic, having never seen so many cars and humans in the town before. Soon, she began to get more comfortable with the idea of customers regularly coming into town. She found she couldn't skate as much as she'd like during business hours, but she didn't mind too much. Many more humans started coming through town, allowing the girl to interact more with her own species. Sarge opened up a boot camp. One of the older buildings had been reconstructed to become a racing museum, complete with an entire wing dedicated to Doc. He even let Harley polish off his Piston Cup trophies and design the entire wing herself. No surprise, he was very proud of the final result. Harley bounced around at different jobs in the town, from waitress at Flo's café to nurse in Doc's clinic. Anytime one of the residents needed help, Harley would jump up and offer her services. Sheriff still stood at his post, and he found his job getting a bit busier as more cars came down the road. The old drive-in theater was finally rebuilt and started showing movies again, which became a regular activity the residents came together for every weekend. Sally worked her bumper off to finally reopen the Wheel Well. Doc became not only Lightning's crew chief, but his racing coach as well. The rest of the residents contributed what they could to be part of Lightning's pit crew. Even Harley became part of the crew, acting as a co-chief and self-proclaimed "official Lightning McQueen cheerleader."

Harley rested in her bed with a book in her lap, reading contently. She looked up to the window and smiled at the stars. She would never tell the other townsfolk, but she almost preferred busy Radiator Springs to the quiet town she grew up in. It was amazing, how much her life changed because of one racecar that Harley didn't even like at first because he almost ran her over. Now, it seemed like he was always part of the town. Harley could still see the neon glow of Sarge's and Fillmore's homes/businesses, and her smile grew.

"Isn't it time you went to sleep already?" Doc said as he came in.

Harley giggled. "I guess." She snuggled down into her blanket, setting her book aside and taking off her glasses to set them on the nightstand.

"Brush your teeth?" Doc asked.

"Brush _your_ teeth?" Harley countered.

Doc smirked. "Same time." The two of them blew air into each other's faces, and they laughed. "Very good. Looks like I raised you all right."

Harley nodded in agreement. She sighed happily. "Hey Daddy?"

"Yeah?" Doc asked.

Harley couldn't stop smiling as she lay down. "I think we're gonna be okay."

Doc smiled warmly, kissing his daughter's head. "I think so too. Love you, Harley."

Harley yawned, allowing sleep to take over as Doc turned off the lights. "Love you, Doc."

THE END

* * *

 **A/N: Italian translations:**

 _ **Vai:**_ **go**

 _ **Con chi credi di parlare? Ma, con chi stai parlando?:**_ **Who do you think you speak? Who are you talking about?**


	9. PC2: Nightmares

**A/N: So this is Part Two, set between** _ **Cars**_ **and** _ **Cars 2.**_ **These chapters will be labeled "PC2" in the chapter list (as in Pre-** _ **Cars**_ **2). Summary: Things have been going pretty well for Harley since Lightning McQueen moved into Radiator Springs and her life. But nightmares have plagued her dreams lately, all of them forcing her to relive the trauma of the fire that took her house and parents. Although she long since came to terms with their deaths, she yearns for answers on the details of that night. Changes happen, and Harley will need to learn the true power of family to hold onto her happiness.**

 **A Racer, A Father, An Angel**

* * *

Chapter One: Nightmares

The roar of engines, the feeling of the asphalt beneath his tires, and wind in his face were sensations he would never get tired of. Even as a child, he loved to tear around the cul-de-sac where he used to live. Only now, he was finally settled into a racing career that felt like a dream come true. Ten times better than his time as a rookie. He could only attribute this to the personal journey he took when he arrived in Radiator Springs.

The whole "arrested for destruction of property" thing aside.

" _Atta boy!"_ Doc said into his radio. _"You're goin' great, kid. Just keep it up!"_

"Ten-four, Doc!" Lightning nodded, picking up speed as he raced around the track.

" _You go, Speed Racer!"_ Harley's excited voice cheered over the radio. Lightning chuckled at the sound of his nickname the young brunette gave him. He glanced over to his pit crew and smiled warmly at the sight of Doc, Harley, Fillmore, Guido, Luigi, and Mack right where they usually stood. Several humans stood by to help. He had considered trying to hire a new pit crew, but not many wanted to work with him despite his change in character. He found Fillmore was knowledgeable about fuel, even if it wasn't his organic stuff; Guido could still change all four of his tires in four seconds flat, with Luigi translating for him; Mack was ever-present, mostly for moral support; Doc proved to be the best crew chief Lightning ever had. As for Harley, the now-fourteen-year-old acted as a personal cheerleader and co-coach under Doc's guidance. Harley never considered herself a typical small-town girl; she never exactly found a reason to leave Radiator Springs, but she had to admit she greatly enjoyed traveling to Lightning's races.

Like today's race, being held in Phoenix, Arizona. Lightning's win today would grant him placement into the Dinoco 400 for the Piston Cup, the third one the stock car could potentially win. Lightning didn't have a problem placing first in this race, but it didn't make the win feel any less amazing. The stock car went straight from the winner's podium to his team, soaking in their cheers and supportive smiles. Harley hugged him, like she usually did, and the two shared warm grins. It seemed hard to believe the two of them didn't get along at first since he almost ran her over. The fourteen-year-old hardly changed her sense of style in terms of clothing, but she began allowing her blue-streaked brunette hair to grow out a bit more so it hung a little past her shoulders. She usually kept it back in a ponytail, like she did today.

"Not bad, Speed Racer." Harley complimented. "Could use some work on your weaving."

"No need to weave when you're always in first place." Lightning countered, making Harley roll her eyes.

"Keep up the confidence, but not the cockiness." Doc said wisely. "We're gonna be increasing the training regime to keep you in shape for the Dinoco race in two weeks."

Lightning sighed. Amazing coach and crew chief he may be, but Doc didn't mess around when it came to racing. Especially training for races. "Yes, Doc. Can we at least go home for the training?"

"Of course." Doc nodded with a smile. "But if I recall correctly, you said you had a party you wanted to go to."

Lightning perked up. "I can go?"

"Behave yourself, but yes." Doc nodded. He barely got out the last word before Lightning said "Thanks Doc!" and sped off. Doc rolled his eyes, chuckling. "We better go wait at the hotel for him. We'll leave tomorrow morning." The rest of the crew agreed, driving off to turn in for the evening. Harley stayed beside her surrogate father, keeping an eye on him. The old Hornet seemed to be doing all right, but lately Harley had been noticing he got tired an awful lot. He brushed it off as losing sleep because of the stress from racing season, promising he would get more sleep when they returned to Radiator Springs. Harley didn't argue with him, noticing he definitely seemed to get better when they returned home from races. She found that lately she couldn't focus on anything really anymore.

"Harley?"

The brunette jumped, realizing Fillmore was calling for her. "Yeah?"

"I was askin' if you wanted me to grab you some tea while I was in the lounge." Fillmore asked.

"I'm good. Thanks." Harley said, as though just realizing they had arrived at the hotel.

Fillmore stared at Harley worriedly, but smiled and drove off. Guido and Luigi joined him as they approached the lounge and found a drinks station. They gave their orders to the young human man behind the counter and waited patiently.

"How is-a our _piccolo_?" Luigi asked.

Fillmore sighed. "I dunno, man. Doc says she won't talk to anybody about what's goin' on. I'm gettin' worried."

Guido nodded in agreement, murmuring in Italian. "You are right, Guido." Luigi nodded. "She-a needs to talk to someone. But if Doc cannot get her to talk, who can?" It soon became clear they weren't going to get an answer anytime soon, so the three vehicles only sighed and waited patiently for their drinks.

* * *

"Harley! Harley, wake up! _Harley!"_

The brunette gasped deeply as she bolted upright in her bed. Her breathing became labored and erratic, her eyes wild. Doc's gravelly yet soothing tone soon began to calm her down, and she realized she was still in the hotel room. The clock on the nightstand read 1:23 a.m., and she winced a bit before looking sheepishly to Doc resting beside her.

"Sorry." Harley said. "I woke you up again, didn't I?"

"I'm glad you did." Doc assured, despite his lingering exhaustion. "You were thrashin' so much I thought you might hurt yourself."

Harley winced again. _Great. Just great._

"You ready to tell me what's going on?" Doc asked, narrowing his eyes a bit at his daughter.

Harley stared at her comforter for a moment before laying down and turning her back to Doc. The Hudson Hornet sighed and returned to his bed, settling down to sleep again. Harley rubbed the sheets of her bed, feeling guilt gnaw at her stomach. She thought back to her nightmare, but remembering the sight of the flames and the sound of those screams made her shiver. How many times had she witnessed this same nightmare or one similar in this past week alone? How long had they been going on, anyway? A couple weeks? A couple months? It was nowhere near the anniversary of the fire that killed her parents, but Harley found she couldn't stop thinking about what happened. She was only four at the time, and mostly asleep during the entire ordeal. She understood her parents were dead and she had accepted that because Doc took her in and the townsfolk made sure she was happy.

Yet, knowing all this, a single question burned in Harley's mind: _why_ did the fire happen?

* * *

Harley gave no indication she had a nightmare the night before as everyone prepared to drive back home to Radiator Springs. Lightning had arranged for an area in his trailer to be redesigned for Harley to stay in, complete with a bed for longer trips and a seat with a seatbelt. The stock car kept a close eye on the girl as Mack drove them home. Harley had thought she was doing an all right job hiding her nightmares from the town, but she never knew Doc had told everyone about them. Lightning even witnessed Harley tossing and turning in her sleep during a trip to a race, but could only watch in confusion and fear until Harley woke up on her own. In a panic, Lightning had pretended to be asleep to give Harley the belief she hadn't woken him.

Lightning glanced at the girl as Mack traveled on. The brunette rested on her bed, reading contently. Lightning bit his lower lip and cautiously approached Harley. "Hey, kid."

Harley looked up from her book. "Yeah?"

"How are you doing?" Lightning asked, wanting to be slow and gentle.

"Good." Harley shrugged, going back to her book.

 _Well this isn't getting me anywhere._ Lightning decided to bite the bullet. "Any nightmares lately?"

Harley tensed up, and she sighed as she shut her book. "Don't tell anyone."

"Harley, we're all worried about you." Lightning protested. "No fourteen-soon-to-be-fifteen-year-old should have to go through what you are."

"It's nothing." Harley shrugged. "Just…a bad memory."

"Of what?" Lightning asked. "If I can ask, I mean."

Harley stared at Lightning for a while. Out of all the residents of Radiator Springs, Lightning wasn't exactly her first choice to talk about her feelings. She turned to face away from him, not speaking for the rest of the trip back to Radiator Springs. Lightning was worried at first, but his concerns were somewhat alleviated when Mater appeared and Harley's face broke into smiles. The two instantly began chatting happily, Mater inviting Harley to hang out. The girl quickly agreed, waving goodbye to everyone as she and the tow truck took off. Lightning watched them go, still looking worried.

"You've noticed it too, huh?" Doc said as he rolled up beside the stock car.

Lightning sighed. "She's pretty good at hiding her feelings, but I think this is just getting too much for her."

Doc stared after his daughter. "Because she needs closure."

Lightning blinked in surprise. "For what?"

Doc shook his hood. "Nothing. Just talkin' to myself. I'll give ya the day off today and tomorrow, but then we get right back to trainin', you hear?"

Lightning smirked. "Okay." He drove off towards the Cozy Cone, Sally coming out to meet him. Doc looked to them for a moment before staring in the direction Harley left. He sighed heavily, tiredly rolling back home. He drove into his room, pulling a scrapbook from a small bookshelf in the corner. Flipping through, he stopped at a picture of three humans smiling warmly at the camera: a man with a somewhat forced smile, a woman with a warm grin, and a little baby in the woman's arms giggling madly.

John, Paula, and little Harley.

Doc sighed. It had been over ten years since that fateful night, but the fire seemed to burn itself in Doc's memory, down to the last detail. He could almost feel four-year-old Harley's tiny arms wrapped around his tire as she clung to him.

 _If it wasn't for that foolish….._ Doc growled a bit. _Why?_ Why _did he have to do it? Why throw it all away and then try and drag more people into it? What's worse, he's never going to understand how much he scarred his own child, he own flesh and blood._ Doc sighed now. _Harley…_

"Doc! I'm home!" Harley's voice called as she came in the front door.

Doc quickly put the scrapbook away and drove out to find his daughter in the kitchen, scrounging for something to eat in the fridge. Doc smiled. "Hey sweetheart. What're ya after?"

"I agreed I'd have dinner with Mater tonight." Harley explained. "I could've sworn we had a Tupperware thing of spaghetti in here."

"We finished that the night before we left for the race." Doc reminded her. Harley tensed up, not taking her head out of the refrigerator. Doc narrowed his eyes in concern, and he rolled a little closer to the girl. "Harley?"

Harley sighed, her breathing ragged, and she moved out to stare at Doc. Her eyes were red and puffy, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "Daddy….."

"Oh, Harley." Doc sighed, the girl hurrying over to him and hugging his hood. She cried silently, clinging to the old Hornet for comfort. Doc shushed her gently, nuzzling against her. "What's goin' on?"

"They're getting worse." Harley said between sniffles. "It seems like every time I close my eyes all I can see is that stupid fire. I fall asleep for even a few minutes and I hear screaming." She stared at Doc, tears dripping down to his hood. "I can't make them stop."

Doc shushed her. "It's all right, Harley. They're just dreams; they can't hurt you."

"Then why do I feel like I can't breathe?" Harley protested.

Doc chuckled softly. "Because you won't stop crying." Though she was getting a bit big for it, Doc scooped the girl up so she could lay across his hood, and he bounced her a bit.

"Doc," Harley whined a bit. "I'm not a baby."

"Not in size, but you'll always be my baby girl." Doc said, smiling warmly. Harley huffed, sliding off Doc and plopping down on the floor. Doc raised an eye frame. "Oh, so that's how you're gonna be, huh?"

Harley only gave her deepest of frowns. But she yelped when Doc suddenly began nuzzling her stomach, making her laugh. "No, stop! Doc, come on! Daddy!" She protested between giggles. "Come on, this is torture!"

"You know what they say: kill with kindness!" Doc laughed, finally moving back and allowing Harley to catch her breath. She was smiling broadly now, and Doc sighed. "Now _that's_ what I like to see. A nice, big Harley Smile."

Harley tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, readjusting her glasses. "Come on, my smile isn't that great."

"You kiddin'?" Doc scoffed. "Your smile shines brighter than any of the neon lights in town. When you laugh, it makes everyone in town feel like they need to smile too." He nuzzled Harley lovingly. "Sally's right; you _are_ the gem of Radiator Springs. And you sparkle brightest when you smile like that."

Harley couldn't help but blush. "Thanks, Doc." She hugged him again, still smiling. But when she pulled away, she frowned a bit. "But you know, I _am_ getting older. And…I think I'm old enough…and smart enough to know….." She trailed off a bit.

Doc sighed. "You wanna know about the fire."

"I want to know _why._ " Harley clarified. "I want to know _why_ that fire happened. Maybe if I know, the nightmares will go away."

"You don't know that." Doc said. "I can give you something to help you sleep better if you want."

Harley stared almost pleadingly at Doc. "Dad…..please…I gotta know."

Doc stared back at Harley. He finally sighed. "Harley….it's hard to explain. But I promise, you _will_ get an answer."

"When?" Harley asked.

Doc thought for a moment, glancing at the calendar on the wall. "I promise to tell you by the time you turn fifteen."

Harley frowned a bit. Her fifteenth birthday wasn't for another few months. "Really?"

"If I haven't found a way to tell you by then, you can force it out of me." Doc promised. "Deal?"

Harley didn't like it. Not one bit. But, then again, this is the closest she'd ever gotten to getting an answer. And now she had a deadline. "Deal."

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think? Good start for the second part? Next chapter coming soon!**


	10. PC2: Forced Truth

**A/N: Short yet important chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Two: Forced Truth

Harley found her nightmares decreased greatly after her talk with Doc. She had one more nightmare the evening after the talk, but then three nights passed without a single issue. Harley began feeling like her joyful old self again, and the rest of the townsfolk couldn't hide their relief at the sight. The brunette began going back to her normal activities: bouncing around and helping the residents in their stores, joining Lightning and Doc with training, hanging out with Mater, skating around town, etc.

But even when Harley didn't get nightmares for the rest of the week, she found her mind kept wandering back to the fire. She wracked her brain and searched her memories, desperate to pick _something_ out that could lead her to the cause of the fire. Did her mother accidentally leave something on the stove? Was a candle burning overnight? Did somebody set it on purpose? Harley could've sworn she remembered the sound of an explosion, but it didn't seem right. Why an explosion? Emergencies didn't happen much at Radiator Springs; in fact, they almost never happened, even with the influx of new visitors coming through. But for some reason, the idea of an explosion stayed on Harley's mind. In the end, she knew she'd never be able to fully remember everything. Her age aside, she was mostly asleep when the fire started and the only clear picture in her head was of Sheriff after he pulled her out of the burning building.

Sheriff…..

It was a bad idea. A very bad idea. A very bad, dishonest, sneaky, and overall just terrible idea. But Harley discovered she just couldn't wait anymore. So, going behind her father's back for the first time in her life, she snuck out of town while everyone was busy and skated down Route 66 to Sheriff's post. Surprisingly, she found him awake and alert despite it being late afternoon, when he would usually take a nap to try and be more awake that night.

"Hey there, Harley!" Sheriff greeted as the brunette approached.

"Hey Sheriff." Harley greeted. "Any hot rods out today?"

"Not today." Sheriff said. "In fact, the road's been mostly quiet."

"Must make your job easier." Harley noted.

"Yeah, but also a little borin'." Sheriff said.

"I guess so." Harley shrugged.

Sheriff could tell by Harley's body language she wasn't just out here for casual conversation. "Somethin' up, kiddo? It's not yer nightmares again, I hope."

"No, those have stopped for the most part." Harley said. "I just….I want them to stop completely. And I know that's not going to happen until I get answers."

Sheriff blinked, getting a sinking feeling in his gut. "So what? Ya gonna try ta get an answer out of Doc?"

"He said he was going to tell me on my fifteenth birthday." Harley explained. "But I just can't wait that long. You were there the night of the fire; heck, you saved my life that night. Surely you must know somethin' about what happened."

Sheriff stared at Harley for a moment before sighing heavily, confirming Harley's suspicions. "Look, Harley, this _really_ isn't my place to say."

"Sure it is." Harley reasoned. "You're my family too, and you know better than anyone what happened because you were there first. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to get me out of the house fast enough."

 _Dang she's smart._ Sheriff thought. "That's true, Harley. But if Doc said he was gonna tell you—"

"I can't wait a few months." Harley insisted. "For all I know, I might end up forgetting about it and then Doc will 'forget' about it too." She moved closer to Sheriff and placed a hand on his hood. She stared at him with an almost begging look. "Please, Sheriff. I have to know."

Sheriff and Harley locked eyes, cerulean with crystal blue, and Sheriff finally sighed. "Sit down, darlin'. It's a bit of a long story, and I need you listening to me until the very end. All right?" Harley nodded, moving back to sit on a rock and be more at Sheriff's eye level. The Mercury stared at the ground for a moment, thinking about what he was about to say. "You know yer family's been livin' in Radiator Springs for generations."

"They were some of the first residents along with Stanley." Harley confirmed.

Sheriff nodded. "Well, when Radiator Springs was still on the map, yer mom was livin' in town with her parents. She was kind, smart, beautiful, and strong-willed. She accepted everyone in town as her family, and she treated the travelers with similar kindness. One day, yer dad came into town. He wasn't in a good place at the time; he had a petty theft criminal record and recently got out of jail. The two of them met and began spendin' more and more time together. Criminal record aside, yer dad was a pretty nice guy. He was helpful and kind, yer grandparents seemed to like him, and he made it known he was tryin' to start over. Still, it was clear he didn't exactly fit in 'round here. He didn't like that Radiator Springs was so secluded, I guess. But boy did he love yer mom, and soon they were married and had their own little home here in town." Sheriff's face fell. "Then….the town went under. Yer dad began talkin' to yer mom about leavin' Radiator Springs, but yer mom wouldn't hear of it. Like you, she was dedicated to stayin' here for the rest of her life. Yer dad didn't argue, but the fights came back up when you were born.

"Maybe he didn't like livin' in a town full of cars, especially after yer grandparents died. Maybe he was afraid for your future. Maybe he was just restless and not meant for small town life. Whatever the reason, yer dad began growin' angrier and angrier as the months passed. Time and time again, he tried to convince yer mom that they needed to leave. But yer mom was a persistent woman, and she absolutely refused. She thought you'd grow up just fine. Yer dad didn't think so." Sheriff paused, coming to the end of the story. He glanced at Harley, noticing the teenager was staring in shock and concern. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. Sheriff sighed. "Yer dad hated the town and didn't want anythin' to do with it anymore. But he couldn't just leave; he loved yer mom too much to leave her, or maybe that's just what he kept tellin' himself. I still don't know how, but he got his hands on some explosives and blew up his house in a murder-suicide attempt, wanting to destroy not just himself and the house but you and yer mom too. Yer mom threw you behind a couch, protectin' you from the blast, and I was able to pull you out." He sighed. "You know the rest from there. You were the only survivor."

Harley stared in shock, the news hitting her like a boulder to the chest. Her father? Her own flesh and blood? _He_ was the one who destroyed her home and made her an orphan? "But…..why? I mean….how can someone be so out of it they decide to kill?"

Sheriff shook his hood. "I dunno, Harley darlin'. The mind is a mysterious thing. Once it goes screwy, anythin' can happen."

Harley's fists clenched, and she glared at the ground. "Did Doc know? Is this what he would've told me?"

Sheriff noticed her sudden change in body language, and he tensed up a bit. "Yes, he knew." Sheriff confirmed slowly. "Most everyone knew yer dad wasn't in a good place, but ultimately only Doc and I know he was the one who caused the fire."

The brunette was shaking with fury now. "You're telling me…..that for over _ten years_ …Doc kept this a secret from me?"

"Harley—"

"He kept this a secret from me all this time, without ever considering how I would feel?"

"He _did_ consider that—"

"But then decided to hide it from me."

"Harley, that's not—"

"But it's true, isn't it?" Harley jumped from the rock, glaring at the ground. "How could he? I thought the fire was an accident, that my parents had always loved me from the start. Now, I discover my father is a murderer, and Doc didn't think to mention that?!"

Sheriff was beginning to grow both angry and a little worried about Harley. "Now listen here, Harley. If Doc believe you could've handled the news at a younger age, he would've told ya by now."

"I have spent my entire life believing my dad was a great man." Harley growled. "And now I find out my _adoptive_ dad never considered telling me otherwise? Doc's no better than my real father!"

"Now you wait right there, young lady." Sheriff snapped. "That's takin' it too far."

"Maybe not far enough." Harley snarled, turning and skating off.

Sheriff stared after her, sighing heavily. "Doc's gonna have my hood."

* * *

To Sheriff's surprise, Doc never found out he had spilled the beans. In fact, Harley didn't speak to Doc for another week. She never gave a reason why, but Doc guessed Harley was still plenty mad at him for making her wait for the truth. The rest of the residents were confused and concerned for the young teen, seeing how she seemed to act perfectly normal but then her entire demeanor would change when Doc came around. Doc had tried talking to her, but received the cold shoulder.

Meanwhile, the residents of Radiator Springs had another thing to worry about: Doc himself. The elderly Hornet was getting up there in mileage; he was at least seventy-five years old, give-or-take some years. Despite his best efforts, Doc's exhaustion was beginning to show. It seemed he became weaker and weaker as the days passed. He used to race Lightning around Willie's Butte for practice, but began to abandon it as he complained his axles felt they were about to fall off. Even Harley would stare worriedly or sympathetically at her surrogate father during these times.

Lightning couldn't help but notice how low Doc was slumping on his tires as they returned home from practice. "You all right, Doc?"

"Don't you start." Doc groaned, rising up a bit. "I'm fine."

Lightning bit his lower lip. Like any young man, he believed Doc was so legendary he was immortal. But reality hit him like crashing into a wall: Doc was _definitely_ getting old. "You know…..maybe you should stay home for this next race."

"You kiddin'?" Doc scoffed. "I ain't missin' a race just because I'm tired."

"But Doc—"

"I don't abandon my team, kid." Doc said firmly. "I'm goin' to be there for ya. Besides, there's no way you'll be able to find another crew chief by the time of the race."

"Harley could do it." Lightning suggested.

Doc chuckled. "I guess she could. She's gettin' good at the job. But it's the Piston Cup, and your third one no less. I ain't missin' that."

Lightning sighed, realizing Doc wasn't backing down. "Fine. But just take it easy, okay? I'm callin' Mack and asking for a second trailer for you."

"Kid—"

"Hey, I need you conscious and awake for the race." Lightning said with a smirk. "So you can sleep in the trailer."

Doc laughed. "All right. Whatever you say." He took on a serious look. "But I don't want you worryin' about me, got it? I know when I need help. I _am_ a doctor, after all."

Lightning couldn't argue with that. "All right. I trust you."


	11. PC2: Sneak Attack

**A/N: Fair warning: you're all going to hate me in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Three: Sneak Attack

As much as Doc complained about it, he found getting some rest in the second trailer proved to be beneficial. Mack managed to recruit an old buddy of his to bring the second trailer and everyone departed for the Piston Cup Race. Lizzie, Red, Ramone, and Flo stayed behind to keep an eye on the town while everyone else drove off, ready for the final race of the season. Harley still refused to talk to Doc. She even denied anything was wrong when Lightning asked her. Everyone arrived in Nashville within a few days and before they knew it the evening of the race had arrived.

Doc cast a look to Harley as the brunette seemed to reluctantly take her spot beside him on the chief's perch. "Ready, kiddo?"

"Yes." Harley said bluntly, not even looking at her father.

Doc sighed, turning his attention to Lightning as the red stock car joined the other racers out on the track. "Ready, kid?"

" _Ready, Doc!"_ Lightning confirmed.

"Now listen: don't think of this as the race to end all races." Doc said. "Just treat it like a normal, run-of-the-mill race. Think too much about the fact that it's the championship and you'll only psyche yourself out. Got it?"

" _Copy that!"_ Lightning confirmed. It was a little hard to hide his excitement for being back in the championship, but he did as Doc said and put all his focus on the task at hand. The race began, and Lightning melted into the scenario like second nature. Doc radioed in tips and warnings now and then, but ultimately left Lightning to focus on the racers around him. Harley made a few comments now and then, but Lightning and the rest of the Radiator Springs team noticed she was mostly quiet. It was very unlike her, as the self-proclaimed cheerleader usually went wild during the races.

Halfway through the 400-lap race, Doc finally switched off his radio and looked to Harley. "All right, start talkin'. What in Ford's name is goin' on with you?"

Harley frowned. "Not a good feelin', huh? Being left in the dark."

Doc's eyes fell into a glare. "Harley Hudson, I want an answer out of you _right now_. I can guess that you think I did something to make you angry, but is it any fairer to give me the cold shoulder and not say why?"

Harley glared straight ahead for a moment before looking to Doc. She felt a pang of guilt, realizing she was about to reveal that she went behind Doc's back, but she swallowed. "I know about my parents. I know how my dad murdered my mother and tried to kill me when he blew up the house."

Doc's glare lessened, and he sighed heavily. "How'd you find out?"

"I kind of forced Sheriff to tell me." Harley said.

Doc cast a glare at Sheriff, who chuckled nervously. The old Hornet just rolled his eyes. "So now that you know….have your nightmares stopped?"

Harley blinked in surprise, realizing the tone of Doc's voice didn't carry a hint of anger. In fact, he sounded concerned. "Yeah…yeah they have." She looked to Doc with a new softness in her eyes. Her anger dwindled away; she felt more betrayed than anything else. "But….can you at least tell me why? Why you were so afraid to tell me? I mean…..you kept this a secret for so long. Why?"

Doc sighed. "Harley, I did promise you an answer when you turned fifteen. It wouldn't be right to keep this any longer, but can you at least wait until after the race? I promised you answers, now all I ask is patience." He nudged her gently and smiled. "Come on, when have I _ever_ broken a promise?"

"Never." Harley admitted, her negative emotions dying down. "All right. After the race, when we get back to the hotel. You owe me."

"Deal." Doc nodded, switching on his radio and focusing on the race again. But Harley noticed the look in Doc's eyes; he seemed to be out of it, unable to fully concentrate despite his best efforts. Harley returned her gaze to the race, but worry began to eat away at her heart.

 _Dang, I hope I didn't make him too upset about it._ Harley thought. _I just wanted to know so badly. What reason could he possibly have for keeping something like this from me?_

The race went on, Doc continuing with his job. But Harley could practically feel him shaking a bit. She also couldn't help but notice him rocking a little; it was subtle, but just enough for Harley to notice. She shook it off. If something was happening, Doc would let someone know. Doc couldn't exactly explain what was happening. For some reason, he felt a little lightheaded and it seemed like he couldn't balance himself on his tires. But he shook it off as the heat and needing more sleep, continuing to focus on the race. Lightning was so concentrated he didn't even notice anything wrong with Doc as he stopped in the pits. He was still holding a strong lead even as he rounded into the final lap.

Harley had been fully focused on Lightning when it happened. She watched the red stock car round the fourth turn when Doc muttered something about needing some water. She turned to ask for him to repeat but paused at the sight of Doc rocking _much_ worse than before.

Suddenly, Doc rolled forward and fell off the platform!

Harley jumped, staring in shock as Doc crashed grill-first before tumbling over and landing back on his tires. But he began gasping, slumped _very_ low on his chassis. Harley jumped to the ground, barking at the Radiator Springs' residents to stay back when they tried to gather around.

"Doc!" Harley called, putting her hands to the car's hood.

"Engine….seizing…." Doc rasped, gasping for air. "I can't…..breathe….."

Harley's eyes widened. _Engine attack….._ "Fillmore, call an ambulance!" She ordered. "Sarge, Sheriff, get a pathway clear! Mack, stay on the radio with Lightning! Everyone else give him room to breathe!" Nobody dared to question her and followed her orders promptly. Harley turned her attention to Doc, who wasn't gasping as much as before but still breathed shallowly. She spoke calmly and soothingly, despite her lingering panic. "Doc, it's okay. Just breathe. Hang on, we're gonna get you some help." She moved to stand closer to his windshield, pressing both hands to his hood. _Talk about becoming a human painkiller._ She thought, preparing to use her psych-man abilities. Doc stared wearily at the brunette, noticing her crystal blue eyes beginning to take on a snow-white tinge. He suddenly jerked backwards, forcing Harley's hands off his hood and breaking the connection. "Doc, stop it. I'm trying to help." Harley tried again, but this time Doc gave her a shove and forced her to roll backwards a bit. Her skates hit a fallen drill and she hit the ground. She stared at Doc, the elder Hornet giving her a pleading look as he shook his hood a bit. Harley moved towards Doc again, but an ambulance finally arrived and a forklift and human paramedic jumped out. Harley stared at Doc, her entire body and mind seeming to go numb.

Lightning shot across the finish line, cheering and whooping for his victory. "Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about, eh Doc?" He didn't hear a response. In fact, he could hear several voices over his radio but none of them were Doc's. "Doc?" Lightning screeched to a halt, looking to the pits. His eyes nearly popped out of his windshield at the sight of the ambulance, and Doc being loaded into it. _"Doc!"_ Lightning screamed, his tires squealing as he shot towards the pits. But the moment he arrived, the ambulance sped off and Doc was whisked away.

Sarge hurriedly moved in front of Lightning, stopping the red stock car from chasing the ambulance. "Easy there, soldier. We'll catch up to them soon enough."

Lightning stared after the ambulance, feeling like his engine was being crushed. "B-but….what…..what _happened_?"

"Engine attack." Harley suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "He…..he seemed like he wasn't all there…but I thought he was just tired…I…I tried to help…he pushed…..he pushed me away…." She started trembling, silent sobs wracking her body. "I just wanted to help….I don't care if it hurts….but he did…I just…" Harley bit her lower lip, tears forcing out of her eyes. Sheriff rolled up beside her, nuzzling the girl comfortingly. The girl leaned into his touch, wiping her eyes dry.

"Easy there, kiddo." Sheriff said soothingly. "Easy."

* * *

Harley would've busted right through the glass doors of the hospital if Guido didn't hold her back. Still, the entire Radiator Springs team rushed through the doors and nearly ran over a passing nurse. Harley finally broke free from Guido and shot towards the front desk.

"Paul Hudson, where is he?" The brunette demanded.

The human receptionist at the desk jumped a bit. "Um…..your relation?"

"Daughter. Now tell me where my father is now!" Harley snapped. She yelped when Guido suddenly scooped her up and pulled her back, allowing Lightning to roll forward.

"We're friends and family to Doc. Is he okay?" Lightning asked hurriedly.

The receptionist typed into the computer. "Paul Hudson. Came in about an hour ago with reports of an engine attack. Room 211 and available for visiting."

Harley scrambled out of Guido's forks and took off skating down the hall, skillfully dodging nurses and doctors along the way. _Stupid post-race traffic._ She thought bitterly. _It took us_ way _too long to get here._ She finally found the right door and threw it open, her eyes wild as she scanned the room.

Doc looked up in surprise, having previously been reading a magazine. "Oh. Good evening, Harley."

Harley stared at her father, her eye twitching a bit. She stepped out to the hallway, slamming the door shut behind her, and took a few deep breaths. Lightning and Sheriff approached her, staring worriedly.

"Harley?" Lightning asked worriedly. "Is he…?"

Harley gave a half-sigh, half-growl. "He's alive. But I swear I'm gonna kill him."

Sheriff and Lightning blinked in surprise, then let out relieved chuckles. The three of them entered the room, and Doc openly laughed at the irritated glare on his daughter's face. "My apologies for scarin' ya, sweetheart."

Harley huffed, rolling her eyes. "Right now, I'm just too relieved that you're still alive to be _super_ angry with you."

Doc chuckled, as did Sheriff and Lightning. "So, you feeling all right, Doc?" Lightning asked.

"I'll admit I got a bit scared back there." Doc said. "Just woke up a few minutes ago."

"But you're not gonna go into relapse or somethin'?" Sheriff asked.

"He shouldn't." A white 2002 Mercedes said as he entered the room. A name printed on his fender read _Dr. Cedric Crem._ "It was a minor engine attack at the most. We'd like to keep him here the rest of the night and he'll need strict bed rest for a few days when he gets home, just to be safe. But I think The Fabulous Hudson Hornet still has a few years left in him."

Doc chuckled. "It'll take more than somethin' like this for me to kick the bucket."

"But he'll be okay?" Harley asked.

"He'll be fine." Dr. Crem assured. "But like I said: bed rest. You'll be back to your usual life in no time."

"Yeah, but until then you're taking a break." Lightning said.

"I thought _I_ was the chief here." Doc chuckled.

Dr. Crem shook his hood, but smiled. "All right, he got the all clear. But the hospital's visiting hours are closing soon, so you're going to have to leave now."

"I'm staying with him." Harley announced.

"Harley, I'll be fine." Doc assured.

"I'm not—"

"Harley Hudson." Doc said firmly, but with kindness in his eyes. "You go on now. I'll be right here in the morning."

Harley wanted to argue. She was terrified at the thought of leaving him again. But she finally sighed. "Fine. But I want you loaded into Mack first thing in the morning. And I'm riding with you on the way home."

"You got it." Doc agreed. "Now go on. It's past your bedtime anyway."

Harley rolled her eyes. "Oh what am I worried about? You're clearly fine."


	12. PC2: Promises

**A/N: So I uploaded the next two chapters of Part Two because it's a short part to the story as a whole and both of these chapters are pretty short themselves. But they are the climax, so enjoy!**

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Chapter Four: Promises

Doc didn't bother arguing with Lightning when the stock car insisted he ride in Mack with Harley. But he still rolled his eyes when the entire town of Radiator Springs gathered around him to ask if he was all right. After practically shouting at them, they finally realized the former racer was just fine. Sheriff still enforced the doctor's orders that Doc get some good rest. Lightning got it off easy; he was finally off racing season and wouldn't have to restart training for another month. He had told the press upon leaving Nashville that, due to recent events, he would be focusing more on spending time with his friends in Radiator Springs until racing season started up again.

Harley spent much more time with Doc, mostly out of concern of a relapse. If Doc was feeling any pain, he wouldn't say. Even if he did, he wouldn't allow Harley to use her powers on him. Thinking back, Harley could finally understand why he had refused her help back at the pits. The connection Harley would've made using her psych-man abilities could've caused her to have a heart attack as well, and even a minor one would leave some significant damage on a fourteen-year-old.

Harley picked at her dinner, glancing often at her father across the table. It had been a week since the race and his engine attack. Doc didn't seem to be getting any worse; in fact, he seemed a little livelier nowadays. Still, Harley felt her stomach twist in knots. "Hey Dad?"

Doc looked up from his food. "Yes?"

Harley fidgeted in her seat. "I never got the chance to apologize for how I acted before and during the race."

"Hey, it's all right." Doc assured. "I wasn't exactly straight with ya. In fact, I still owe you an explanation, don't I?"

"It's okay." Harley shrugged. "I know what happened and why. I think I'm fine."

"I still owe you an explanation for not telling." Doc said. "And I keep my promises, remember?"

Harley smiled softly. "All right. Why didn't you want to tell me what happened?"

Doc looked down. "Because I was afraid."

Harley blinked in surprise. _Well that certainly wasn't what I was expecting._

"I was afraid of how you would react when you heard it wasn't an accident; that it was caused by someone who was supposed to love you, not try and kill you." Doc explained. "You were so young when that fire happened. No matter how many times I ran it through my head, I just couldn't find a way to tell ya what happened. You were always such a happy kid, Harley. I didn't want that beautiful smile to go away."

Harley stared at the table, then smiled at her surrogate father. "Thanks for telling me. But you know, this doesn't change anything."

Doc blinked in surprise. "How so?"

"Because I still have a wonderful family here at Radiator Springs." Harley said. "With you and Sheriff and Mater and everyone else. I'm going to miss my parents from time to time, maybe my mom more often than my dad now, but that doesn't change the fact that I have so much to be thankful for right now."

Doc smiled warmly. "That's my girl." He chuckled softly as Harley hurried over to hug him, the two sighing contently.

Things seemed to go back to normal after that. The townsfolk went about their business, complete with Sarge and Fillmore's morning argument happening on a daily basis. Lightning spent more time with both Sally and Mater. Harley went back to her usual work around town. Travelers came through, some days busier than others. There was one day where business was slow and suddenly a stampede of tractors came through town (courtesy of Mater and Harley). It took a good half hour to round them all up and get them back home. All in all, pretty normal for the town of Radiator Springs as a month passed without any more incidents.

But in that one month of complete normality, Doc was starting to act strangely. He spent almost an entire afternoon in the courthouse talking with Sheriff, but when they emerged it seemed as though they were merely discussing the weather. If Doc wasn't in town, he was almost always out at Willie's Butte just staring down at the track. He seemed in a much better mood than he usually was, which was quite the surprise given his normally grumpy personality. But nobody questioned it much. Ramone thought for sure Doc was going senile in his old age. But Flo's guess (and the more logical one) was that Doc was trying to be a little more appreciative of his life since he almost died. Once everyone agreed on that, they decided to leave it alone and just let Doc do his thing.

Lightning couldn't quite let it go just yet. He only knew Doc for about three years, but he knew enough to know that Doc was definitely acting strangely. But how to approach him about it? One day, Lightning decided to go out to Willie's Butte to clear his head, only to find Doc already there. He thought about turning around, but decided to try his luck and rolled up beside the elder racecar.

"Hey Doc." Lightning greeted.

"Hey kid." Doc nodded. "Come out to clear your head?"

Lightning blinked. "How'd you know that?"

Doc chuckled. "You're not the only one who likes comin' out here. Whenever I had too much on my mind, I would come down here. Used to do it a lot, even before Harley was born. I rarely raced, but I guess the sight of the track helped me organize my thoughts."

Lightning nodded. "Yeah, I think that's why it helps me too. The track holds a lot of memories for me."

"Like when you learned I was a racer or when you fell into the cactus patch for the first time?" Doc teased, causing the younger racecar to laugh.

"Yeesh, I was kinda dumb, huh?" Lightning sighed, a smile still on his face. "But I never got a chance to ask: even though I tore up the road and acted like a total jerk, why did you try and teach me how to turn on dirt?"

"You wanted to know how." Doc said. "It was like I told Harley when she asked: hot rod you may be, you've got the passion for racing and a Ford-given talent for it. The only problem is you knew you were good, so you thought you didn't need to learn anything else."

"Yeah but now I know otherwise. Thanks to you." Lightning said.

Doc smiled proudly, the two of them staring out at Willie's Butte. "Hey kid, can I ask you to do somethin' for me?"

"Anything, Doc." Lightning agreed.

"Promise me you'll keep racing." Doc said. "In fact, go win another Piston Cup. Go for a fourth or a fifth or as many times as you want. Go be better than I was."

Lightning was surprised, but smiled. "Nobody could ever be as good as you, much less better. But you got it; I promise I'll keep racing. It's my dream in life, anyway. No way am I letting it go."

"Atta boy." Doc nodded in approval, smiling.

The two of them returned to town later that evening, talking about Lightning's training schedule he would start in a few weeks. Once they reached Doc's home, the old racecar bid Lightning goodnight and drove off.

"Hey Doc." Lightning called, making the cobalt Hornet stop and turn to him. Lightning looked down, but smiled. "I know people are always talking about how great of a racer I've become and how I'm going to become a legend and all, but the reality is I wouldn't be the way I am now without your help. You're a pretty great coach and teacher, and I don't think I thank you enough for that."

"Never need to." Doc assured. "We may have not gotten off on the right tire when you first crashed into town, but in the end I'm glad you did. Like you, racin' was and still is a part of who I am. And I suppose Harley was right and I shouldn't have let that go."

"Told ya so!"

The two jumped at the sound of the brunette's voice, and they looked to see the brunette just before she skated away and into the clinic, giggling like a mad person.

"Just you wait, kiddo! I know where you sleep!" Doc called, making Lightning laugh. Doc rolled his eyes. "I better go catch her before she decides to bunk with Mater. Night, kid."

"Night, chief." Lightning said, still smiling. He drove off, the smile never leaving his lips, and he decided he had been worried for nothing.


	13. PC2: The Final Race

**A/N: Remember I uploaded two chapters. Be sure to read chapter four too!**

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Chapter Five: The Final Race

Time went by. Lightning started up his training again with Doc to prepare for racing season starting in two months. The only time he got the day off was Harley's fifteenth birthday a month later, when pretty much the entire town shut down to celebrate. Harley rolled her eyes and giggled, looking embarrassed but still smiling the entire time. Lightning learned a few years ago that the entire town always gathered together for birthdays, especially Harley's, and they did their best to keep up the traditions even with the travelers coming through. Harley did her best to be modest and insist that everyone was going to too much trouble, but she couldn't help feeling touched that everyone did so much for her. Spoiled she may be, but Doc raised her to be humble and kind. So even though she thought closing down Radiator Springs for the day was too much, she knew she couldn't stop the townsfolk. The entire main street became a dance floor and Lizzie kept the radio music cranked up. Harley received a number of gifts, from an Italian novel from Guido to a handheld paintball gun from Sheriff. Lightning, having gotten much better at giving gifts than his first time attending one of Harley's birthdays, gave the brunette a CD signed by her favorite band. Needless to say, it was the perfect day for Harley, and she couldn't imagine how much better her life could get.

It all changed two weeks later.

Doc stared at the clock on the wall of his room, waiting until it finally clicked to midnight. Silently driving through his home, he exited through the clinic doors and looked up and down the street. All the lights of every building were out, with only the streetlights and traffic lights glowing. Everyone was asleep, just as Doc wanted. He rolled out and around to the garage, where he kept a spare set of dirt track racing tires. One of his original sets was still on display in the museum in town, but Doc tended to keep his spare set for days when he raced with Lightning. He hadn't touched them in months, but the second he managed to get them on it felt like he never took them off.

Harley had been awake for a while, caught up reading the Italian book Guido gave her before switching over to the instruction manual for her handheld paintball gun. She heard the doors to the clinic open, and she guessed Doc was getting some fresh air. On nights like this, when temperatures tended to still be quite warm, Harley found the house could get a little stuffy. Doc especially hated the feeling and often moved outside or had to open a window, as Harley did now. Because of that open window, she could hear her father not return inside and instead move farther outside. _Must be going to the garage to find the fan._ Harley guessed, still looking through her paintball gun manual. But after a while, Harley realized she didn't hear the doors to the clinic nor the house open and close. Doc wouldn't stay outside for more than a few minutes because the peskiest of bugs seemed to come out at night. Confused, Harley moved to her window to see if Doc was still standing outside. He wasn't. The brunette tucked her cobalt blue streaked hair behind her ears and jogged towards the door, not caring she was still in her pajamas. She grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen and pushed through the doors to the outside, jogging around to the garage. But Doc wasn't in there either. However, Harley found his tires on the ground and his spare set of dirt racing tires nowhere in sight. Realizing at once where he could be, Harley turned and ran off towards Willie's Butte. Too late she realized she was barefoot, but at the moment she didn't care.

Just as she predicted, Doc was down at Willie's Butte and resting at the starting line of the track. She carefully walked down the hill to the track, her feet a little sore. But she ignored it as she called to her father. "Doc! What're you doing out here? If you don't get your tailpipe back home, Sheriff's gonna blow a gasket." Doc didn't move, and Harley tentatively approached him. "Doc? You okay?"

"Yeah, sweetheart. I'm all right." Doc finally said, his voice sounding older for some reason.

Harley walked up to stand next to Doc's hood, staring at him. "What're you doing out here? It's too late to be out here right now."

"Actually, I think it's perfect." Doc said, staring at the track. "Nice and open and quiet, and the moon gives us the perfect lighting. It's the one place I knew I could clear my head no matter what I was goin' through. And now you're here; nothing could be better."

Harley felt confusion wash over her at Doc's odd calmness. She placed a hand on Doc's hood, activating a connection between the two using her psyche human powers. She gasped softly, feeling Doc's very life force growing fainter. "Doc…" _He's dying….._

"It's time, Harley." Doc confirmed, a small smile on his face. "And if I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go doin' what I love with the one I love most right with me."

"No…." Harley shook her head, her heart beginning to break. "No, you can't die. Not yet." She pulled on his fender a bit. "Come on, let's go home. Come home and live a little longer. You're the great Doc Hudson; I'm sure we can squeeze a few more years out of you."

Doc shook his hood. "I've lived a full life, Harley. I made a good career, met some good folks who became like family, and became the father of the most wonderful little girl in the world. It's been a long and full life, especially with you in it."

"Doc, _please_." Harley begged. "I'm not ready."

Doc looked to Harley with a sympathetic glance. "I know. But would you ever be ready? I didn't raise you to be foolish; everyone has their time, and we both knew you were gonna outlive me." He nuzzled her gently. "I raised you to be wise, not just smart. You know the ones we love never really leave us. I'll always be with you."

Harley felt hot tears build up behind her eyes, and she blinked them back. "Daddy…I know you're always goin' to be there…but being there in spirit isn't nearly as great as having you here in person."

"I know, I know." Doc nodded in understanding. "I've had to go through this myself, and it is in no way easy. But I need you to do something for me."

Harley stared at Doc, swallowing. "What's that?"

"Don't cry over me when I'm gone." Doc said. "Promise that you won't cry because you're sad about me. If you're gonna cry, let 'em be tears of joy because I lived. That is, if I really meant that much—"

"Oh don't start with that." Harley snapped half-heartedly. "You were more of a father to me than anyone else, even my real father."

Doc smiled. "Then be happy because I was a part of your life and always will be. Don't cry because I can't physically be by your side. In fact, I want you to let it out now. I can see you're tryin' to hold back your tears, but I want you to let out all your sorrow now so you don't do it afterwards."

"Then I'll cry forever, just so you will stay with me." Harley said determinedly.

Doc chuckled. "You can certainly try. But nobody has enough tears for that." He gestured for her to come forward, still smiling warmly.

Finally, Harley couldn't hold it in anymore. She submitted to her grief and collapsed onto Doc's hood, sobbing and dropping her flashlight. Doc spoke words of comfort, pulling the fifteen-year-old up to rest fully on his hood. She continued to sob, tears spilling down onto the cobalt blue metal as she pressed her head against him, her glasses going askew. Doc continued to speak to her, and she did everything in her power to commit his voice to memory. She stared into his eyes, crystal blue irises locking onto crystal blue twins one more time, and she found herself smiling. Memories flooded back to her: Doc comforting her the night of the fire; birthday parties with the residents; skating around town alongside her father; making Main Street her dance floor; hearing Doc's voice telling her "goodnight" and "I love you" right before she went to sleep every night. These were the things she would remember for the rest of her life, and she began to smile despite still sobbing.

About an hour passed before Harley could calm down, resigning herself to Doc's decision. She gave him one last hug and a kiss, and he nuzzled her lovingly. Then she forced herself to stand up and readjusted her glasses, tucking her hair behind her ears. Her cobalt blue streaks seemed to stand out in the moonlight, and she decided then and there she would always keep those streaks in her hair to remind her of her father.

"You brush your teeth?" Harley asked, smirking. Her voice sounded a little funny from her crying, but she cleared her throat and continued in a stronger tone. "I don't want you goin' into the afterlife with bad breath."

"That depends. Did _you_ brush _your_ teeth?" Doc asked with a similar smirk. "I don't want you wakin' up tomorrow with morning breath."

"Same time." Harley said. The two of them blew air into each other's faces, laughing. "Nice job. You remembered."

"As did you. I knew I did somethin' right raising you." Doc countered.

Harley giggled. "I won't be losing my teeth anytime soon." Doc chuckled warmly, and Harley's smile grew.

"All right, now here's what I want you to do." Doc instructed as Harley picked up her fallen flashlight and switched it off. "Just stand right there, signal for me to go, and cheer as loud as you can."

"Got it." Harley nodded.

"Right now, I don't need the roar of the crowds or the waving of a checkered flag." Doc said. "All I need right now is my beautiful little girl."

Harley nodded, walking over and standing just on the inside of the track's edge. Doc spread his wheels a bit before tensing up on his axles like a cat ready to pounce. Harley raised her arm, but for a moment she felt like an executioner standing before a chopping block. Then Doc revved up his engine, grinning broadly, and all those thoughts left Harley's mind. This was the way Paul "Doc" Hudson, The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, deserved to go out: with a bang.

Harley brought her arm down in a swift, solid movement.

Doc rocketed away from the starting line.

"Yeah, Doc! You go, Daddy!" Harley cheered as loud as her voice would go, jumping and whooping and laughing as she watched Doc drive. The Hornet drove up the side of the butte, perfectly balanced and never losing speed. Harley kept cheering and shouting as Doc came up to the dreaded dirt turn. An inexperienced racer would end up straight over the ravine and into a cactus patch, much like Lightning did. But dirt racing was second nature to Doc; he sped up as fast as he could go as he neared the turn. He turned hard to the left before abruptly changing his tires' angle to turn right, drifting perfectly and shooting off down the road again. Harley went wild, jumping around and punching the air. She laughed as the cloud of dust following Doc suddenly engulfed her, and she watched as Doc sped past the finish line. "Yeah! The Fabulous Hudson Hornet takes the gold! You go, Doc!"

Suddenly, Harley came to the realization that Doc wasn't stopping. He ended up driving straight up the butte, stopping a few inches from the top of the rock formation before rolling back down again. Harley sprinted towards him, dropping her flashlight. "Doc!" Harley cried. "Doc! Dad!" She skidded to a halt when Doc rolled past her, stopping several feet away. She hurried to his side, her hands slapping against his hood as she stopped. She panted heavily, staring at the elder racecar. But despite the soft smile on his lips, his eyes were closed and he had gone very still. Harley pressed her hands against Doc's hood, trying to make a connection with her powers. But she felt nothing; no pulse of life or even the smallest vibration of an engine running.

Doc was dead.

Harley's panting slowed until she finally breathed normally. But, just as she promised, she didn't cry. In fact, she smiled broadly and hugged Doc tightly. "That's my daddy. Way to go, Doc." She kissed his hood, still smiling broadly. "Tell Mom I said 'hi.'" The brunette giggled as she climbed up onto Doc's hood, curling up and nuzzling her head against the still-warm metal. She still smiled broadly as exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N: So this…was one of the hardest chapters I have ever written. Not just because it was emotional but because I had to work really hard to try and get those emotions right. Hope you enjoyed and I hope you all didn't cry to hard. One more chapter left for Part Two!**


	14. PC2: Harley's Family

**A/N: So here's the last chapter of Part Two! Like most of the chapters lately, this second arc was short but important, as it will explain things in Part Three, where Harley tags along with Mater and gets a crash course in the world of espionage.**

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Chapter Six: Harley's Family

Doc usually joined everyone for breakfast in the mornings, but it wasn't unusual for him to skip now and then. What really worried the Radiator Springs' folks the next morning was the lack of Harley, who _never_ skipped out on breakfast with the residents. The townsfolk gave it a few more hours before they went to investigate and discovered Doc and Harley were missing. A little panicked, they began searching the town for their missing family members.

"This don't make sense." Mater said worriedly. "Where would they go?"

"I don't know but we're gonna find 'em." Sheriff assured.

"We just need to think." Lightning encouraged. "Mater's right, where _would_ they go? And without telling someone?" He blinked in realization. "Wait a minute. What about Willie's Butte?"

"Willie's Butte?" Sheriff repeated. "Why would they be there?"

"It's Doc's favorite place to clear his head." Lightning reasoned. "I'll bet he and Harley spend a lot of time there. It's worth a shot."

"Then let's go!" Mater urged, the three of them driving off towards the dirt track. It only took them a few minutes to reach the track, and mere seconds for Mater to spot a cobalt blue paintjob.

"Doc!" Lightning called. "Hey Doc! Is Harley with you?" The Hornet didn't respond, and the three cars slowed as they approached. "Doc?"

"Hey Doc!" Mater called weakly. "You okay?"

Sheriff felt his oil chill in his lines when he saw how limp Doc's form looked. "Oh no….." He slowly rolled up to Doc, taking notice of Harley curled up and fast asleep on his hood. Sheriff swallowed hard and pressed his fender to Doc's, listening intently. Nothing; no running of the engine or any sounds of breathing. Sheriff closed his eyes and reversed from the Hornet's body, sighing heavily. He looked to Lightning and Mater, who stared at him with shocked, pleading eyes. The Mercury shook his hood. Lightning instantly felt like a boulder crushed his engine, and he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to stop his tears. Mater couldn't help but shed a few tears, the fat water drops running down his sides. Sheriff drew in a ragged breath before letting it out slowly, desperately holding back his own tears as he drove around to be near Harley's head.

"Harley?" Sheriff called gently. "Darlin'? Wake up."

Harley stirred, then blinked her eyes open. The first thing she saw was Doc's windshield and shut eyes. She smiled warmly, patting the Hornet's hood and sitting up. She looked to the Mercury nearby. "Oh. Hey Sheriff."

Sheriff sighed. "Hey darlin'. You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Harley nodded, slowly sliding off Doc's hood. "Is Mater—?" She caught sight of the tow truck. "Oh hey Mater. Hey Speed Racer." She casually walked up to them, placing a hand on each of their hoods (or headlight, in Mater's case). The two of them came closer, comforting Harley and receiving her comfort. They stayed that way for several seconds before Harley pulled away, still smiling. "Hey Mater? I know this might be hard, but do you think you could tow Daddy back home? We can't just leave him out here and he's gonna need somewhere comfy to stay for now."

Mater swallowed back a sob. "Sure thing, Sissy." He moved to Doc's front and latched his hook onto Doc's front axle. With a heavy heart, he lifted up the Hornet and the group departed for town. Luckily, there weren't any travelers coming through today. Nobody in town could hide their shock and sorrow at the sight of Doc. Harley stayed right by Doc's side the entire drive back to her home, helping Mater back Doc into the clinic. The townsfolk gathered around the door to the clinic, watching sadly as Harley left the room and returned with a large blanket. She draped it over Doc's body, patting his hood affectionately. She continued to smile, giving Doc one last hug and kiss before pulling away.

When she turned to the door, Harley seemed to just notice the entire town had gathered around. "All right, all of you. Out you go." She exited the clinic and shut the doors, herding everyone away. "Go on. Over to Flo's. I want us all to sit down for breakfast so I can tell you what happened."

Everyone was so upset and mildly confused they didn't have the heart to tell Harley most of them already ate. So they all gathered at Flo's and allowed Harley to tell the story. Though they were all expecting Harley to cry and sob, the townsfolk were surprised to see Harley skating around Flo's excitedly as she recounted last night's events. She started off a little more somber, describing how she found out Doc was dying and she spent an hour crying her eyes out. But when she described his final loop around the track, she spoke with such excitement and splendor that nobody could help but smile. Harley continued to skate around wildly as she described Doc's drifting and speeding across the finish line. When she finished the story, the residents were a bit surprised to find her crying. But the broad smile still rested permanently on her lips.

"Honey, are you all right?" Flo asked.

"Yeah." Harley nodded firmly. "I promised Doc I wouldn't be sad when he died. So I'm not."

"You sure?" Sheriff asked.

"Absolutely." Harley nodded.

"So why're you cryin'?" Mater asked, confusion on his and everyone else's faces.

"Because I'm happy." Harley explained. "For the first time in my life, someone close to me died peacefully. It wasn't because of a sickness or an accident…..or because somebody killed them." She looked to Sheriff, who couldn't stop the tears from building up in his eyes. "Doc died without being in pain and with a big ol' smile on his face. And I understand why he didn't want me to be sad when he left. If I focus too much on what I lost, I won't see what I have now." She looked to each Radiator Springs' resident in turn. "I still have a family, and it's in each and every one of you. The day I lose sight of that will be the day I'm truly lost. I'm never going to forget about you. I promise."

Everyone was silent, smiling at Harley with watery windshields. Lizzie moved up to Harley first, smiling with pride. "That's our girl. Your mother would be so proud of you."

"Just like we all are." Sheriff said, coming up and nuzzling Harley. The brunette giggled and hugged the police Mercury, sighing happily. Lizzie joined in the warm embrace, and soon ever single resident was gathered around and soaking in the warmth and love. There were still plenty of tears, but nobody could feel the sorrow in this one, beautiful moment.

Harley was the first to open her eyes, staring ahead and smiling.

Doc stared back at her, smiling broadly. Stanley rolled up beside the Hornet, looking proud. But Doc's focus remained on his daughter. The two stayed locked eyes for a moment before Stanley and Doc disappeared, the latter's voice drifting through the air and into Harley's ear.

 _I love you, Harley._

"Love you, Doc." Harley breathed.

THE END


	15. C2: Friend Lost, Ally Gained

**A/N: So here's Part Three, where we see Harley's involvement in** _ **Cars 2.**_ **Summary: Despite keeping her promise, Harley finds that Doc's death has dampened her usually cheery personality. Then, she and Mater get thrust into the world of international espionage and must work with Agents Finn, Holley, and Emily to save the world. Through these trials and tribulations, Harley will learn to grow, fight her fears, and may just find someone with a wound like hers.**

* * *

 **Filling Heart's Hole**

Chapter One: Friend Lost, Ally Gained

" _This is Agent Leland Turbo. I have a flash transmission for Agent Finn McMissile. Finn, my cover's been compromised. Everything's gone pear-shaped. You won't believe what I've found out here. This is bigger than anything we've ever seen. And no one even knows it exists. Finn, I need backup. But don't call the cavalry, it could blow the operation. And_ be careful _! It's not safe out here. Transmitting my grids now. Good luck!"_

The message seemed to play over and over again in Agent Finn McMissile's mind. The panicked tone coming from his friend sounded so foreign. The Aston Martin knew Leland was usually one to laugh in the face of danger, not be downright terrified. If Leland Turbo was serious about something, then whatever he was tracking must be Class A-type dangerous.

 _Leland, what have you gotten yourself into now?_ Finn wondered.

"We're here!" the crabbing boat he rode called, pulling Finn from this thoughts. "Right where you paid me to bring you. But why are we way out in the middle of nowhere?"

"I'm looking for a car." Finn replied simply.

"A car?" the boat laughed. "Hey, pal, you can't get any further away from land than out here."

"Precisely where I want to be." Finn assured. If this really were Leland's last coordinates, then no doubt he would find his fellow spy here.

"Well I got news for you, buddy: there's _nobody_ out here but us." The boat said.

 _Impossible._ Finn thought. _Then again, we_ are _sort of in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps we're off by a few—_

A loud horn caught Finn's attention, and he darted back into the shadows just as the light of a huge armored carrier shined onto the boat. While the armored carrier snapped at the crabbing boat to get lost, Finn managed to snag his grappling hooks onto the back of the carrier and ride it further along into this supposedly restricted area. As he rode the carrier, he glanced out into the darkness and noticed several lights, like ginormous candles. In fact, the carrier was going straight towards another ginormous candle flame, soon revealed to be attached to a large metal structure. A light shined down on the carrier, forcing Finn to lower himself down farther into the shadows. Lights on the metal structure switched on, revealing it to be a large oil derrick. As the carrier moved beneath the derrick to be carried up, Finn unhooked one of his grappling hooks and stealthily shot it up towards the platform of the derrick. The hook and line caught onto the railing, allowing Finn to swing over towards the cylindrical supports. Magnets encircled his wheels, giving him the traction he needed to reel in his hooks, rev up his engine, and simply drive up the side of the derrick. He glanced out to the "candles" in the darkness, but blinked in surprise to see lights flicker on and show the area as far as he could see rife with oil derricks. Curiosity and confusion grew inside him, along with a twinge of fear; what _had_ Leland gotten himself into?

Finn managed to get himself on solid ground, putting the magnets on his wheels away and silently driving over to stacks of crates nearby. He looked out over the edge of the platform he stood on to find the entire area below full of small, old-looking cars and a few forklifts. A few human men rested near some crates, all of them pretty brawny in build. The vehicles were mostly milling about, as though waiting for orders. To Finn's disappointment yet relief, he didn't see Leland anywhere below him. It still didn't give him any insight to Leland's location, but it gave him hope that perhaps his friend was all right.

Finn tensed, getting the distinct feeling someone was watching him. He reversed and spun around, guns drawn, and came grill-to-face with a human woman. She crouched before the silvery-blue spy car, a pistol in each hand and trained straight at him. The woman had tanned skin and bright blonde hair, her dark brown eyes settled in a glare. She wore all black from what Finn could see: pants, mini skirt, sleeveless shirt that showed her midriff, a black belt most likely loaded with gadgets, boots, and fingerless gloves. She looked to be in her late twenties, early thirties tops. Finn could hardly tell whether she was friend or foe; based on her outfit, it was hard to think she could possibly be a spy. The two were tense for a long moment, only staring at each other.

"A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia has no radiator." The woman finally said.

"That's because it's air-cooled." Finn replied. The woman spun her pistols in her hands and tucked them away, one at her hip and the other at her ankle. But Finn glared harder. "Magpies of a feather don't flock together."

"That's because thieves know no bounds." The woman answered without hesitation.

Now Finn put his guns away. "Who are you?"

"Agent Emily Largo. Special unit of the FBI." The woman introduced. "Am I to assume you are Finn McMissile?"

"Indeed." Finn nodded, ignoring the fact that this Emily Largo gave him a rather disdainful look. "How did you know?"

"Ran into your partner, Leland." Emily explained. "We talked for a bit but were forced to split up. He said to find you and make sure you got off this thing alive." Based on her tone, Emily didn't exactly seem thrilled about the idea.

"When was this? And where is he?" Finn demanded.

"No idea." Emily admitted with a shrug. "Haven't seen him in over an hour."

 _I don't like the sound of that._ Finn thought. He and Emily turned to the group of cars below them, and the Aston Martin switched on his radio. "Leland Turbo, this is Finn McMissile. I'm at the rally point. Over." Static greeted him. "Leland, it's Finn. Please respond. Over." Again, more static, and Finn tensed up a bit. He jumped a bit at the sound of voices, and he opened his right headlight to aim his camera at the cars below. Most of them had gathered to unload some crates, but a small, teal microcar caught Finn's attention. The vehicle snapped at the cars around him, his accent thick with German as he ordered them out of his way. Finn's camera finally identified the car, and he narrowed his eyes. "Professor Zündapp?"

"Zun-who?" Emily asked, staring at the strange microcar with quite the large monocle. She had never seen such a car before.

"Zündapp." Finn explained. "Weapons designer, and a dangerous one at that." He and Emily returned their attention to Zündapp as he approached a burnt orange Gremlin and a forklift carrying a large case. The forklift opening the case to reveal what looked like a standard television camera. A logo on the side read "World Grand Prix." Finn snapped several pictures of the camera, knowing something Zündapp was interested in couldn't possibly be so simple.

"A TV camera?" Emily murmured.

"What're you up to now, Professor?" Finn mused, putting the camera away. His grappling hook device activated from his undercarriage, shooting a line across the way and stabbing into a metal beam. Finn shot another line behind him, embedding the point into a wall. "Miss Largo, hop on. We're getting a closer look."

"Excuse me?" Emily blinked.

"Now!" Finn hissed. Emily glared, but rolled her eyes in submission and activated magnets in her gloves and boots as she jumped onto Finn's roof. Finn silently drove out on the line, stop just above the cars below and shooting two more lines. Carefully, the Aston Martin lowered and angled himself downward just enough to get a better look at the camera. At least, better than up where he was before. He took several more photos of the camera, his mind racing with idea on what this could possibly be. Emily pulled out her phone, snapping several pictures herself. _What could that thing possibly be? Some sort of machine gun? An x-ray device? But the design of the camera is so specific and detailed. In fact, it looks like a standard TV camera. What the heck is going on here?_

"Hey, Professor Z!" another Gremlin called as he and a green Pacer approached. "Guess what we found: one of those British spies we told you about!"

Finn's eyes widened, then narrowed into a glare as he stowed his camera away. _Leland. Hang on, I'm getting you out of there._ His guns appeared on either side of him, locked and ready to fire. He felt Emily tense up and heard the distinct _click_ of one of her pistols being cocked.

"This one, we caught stickin' his bumper where it didn't belong." The Pacer said as a large crate settled down on the ground.

"Agent Leland Turbo." Zündapp guessed with a sneer.

Finn prepared himself to see Leland as the cover of the box was lifted up. He could only imagine how beaten up Leland would be, and if he wasn't so focused on his plan to help he would've laughed at the thought of how long Leland would be in the hospital this time. Finn and Emily tensed up, guns ready to fire.

The cover pulled away…..to reveal a red, crushed cube with Leland's license plate visible on one side.

Finn gasped at the sight, wanting to scream but finding no use of his voice. Emily gave a high-pitched, sharp inhale, covering her mouth and staring in horror. They were hardly aware of the flames on top of the derrick flaring up, illuminating the platform and casting their shadows across the ground. Zündapp caught sight of the shadow and gasped, spinning around and glaring at Finn and Emily above him.

Finn locked eyes with Zündapp, and his shocked expression melted into a near-murderous glare. _You damned little—_

"It's Finn McMissile!" Zündapp shouted, spurring everyone into action. Finn fired his guns several times, Emily let loose a few shots herself. "He's seen the camera! _Kill him!_ " Zündapp practically screamed.

"Time to go!" Emily urged. Finn reluctantly put his guns away, casting one last sorrowful look to Leland's corpse, before pulling the lines and turning to the platform. But he paused when he noticed several of the cars, most with flamethrowers, blocking off the platform he was previously on. The humans from before also arrived, eyeing Emily. Finn looked around, trying to find a way out, and noticed a crane moving towards him. He smirked, cutting loose all but one of his lines and swinging towards the crane. Emily yelped a bit, reactivating the magnets on her gloves to cling to Finn.

"Hang on!" Finn warned.

"No duh!" Emily shouted. Finn ignored her, dropping onto the crane's arm and driving up to the platform nearby. His body making contact with the metal made sparks fly, but didn't stop him as he sped off. He noticed a Pacer shooting towards him and made a hard hairpin turn to go up a ramp. The Pacer stayed right behind him. Emily focused mostly on hanging onto Finn, but took her chance to draw her pistol and fire it a few times at the Pacer. The bullets missed, ricocheting off the metal structure of the derrick. Finn noticed the railing at the edge of the platform and let some oil spill from his back lights. The Pacer hit the slippery liquid and instantly lost control. Finn shot one of his grappling hooks and caught it around a metal column, using the momentum to make a hard right turn while the Pacer flew through the railing and down to the ocean below. Emily knew the impact alone would kill him if he didn't drown.

"Where are we going?" Emily called over the wind, thankful her hair was pulled back in a braid.

"Away from them!" Finn replied simply, still driving.

"Well that's certainly specific." Emily muttered, putting her focus in holding onto the Aston Martin's roof.

If Finn heard her, he didn't show. He continued driving up ramps, seeming to aim for the top floor of the derrick. Soon an entire pack of cars were chasing them, only several yards behind the two spies as Finn sped up a spiraled ramp. The silvery-blue Aston Martin spied a pile of oil barrels and aimed his gun for the metal bar keeping them up. In a few shots, he took out the bar and let the barrels roll loose down to the ramp. Finn launched a magnetic explosive from his wheel to a passing barrel, picking up speed. Within seconds, the bomb went off and the fire caught the rest of the oil barrels, creating a spiraled explosion that took out all of Finn and Emily's pursuers. Finn shot off the ramp, catching a little air as the explosion blasted hot air against his and Emily's backs. They couldn't stay relieved for long before what seemed like the rest of the derrick's cars finally caught up to them. Finn shot forward, but suddenly spied a helipad up ahead. He turned his wheels and spun in a half-circle, skidding to a halt to face his pursuers. The cars completely blocked off any and all escape routes. Except for one.

"Emily, don't let go of me." Finn instructed, revving his engine.

"Uh, okay." Emily said, a hint of nervousness in her voice. _Should've known when I woke up this morning it would be an interesting day._

The cars before them started advancing on the spies, several of them lighting their flamethrowers. Finn's wheels spun, but he kept his brakes on. The smell of burning rubber from the tires made Emily want to gag, but she simply held her breath. Finn glared at his pursuers, waiting as they advanced towards him and Emily.

He released his brakes…and shot backwards off the platform.

Emily pressed herself close to Finn's roof as the Aston Martin turned to face grill-first towards the ocean water. He tucked his wheels in mere seconds before he and Emily hit the water. They were only under for a few seconds before he burst out again, activating his hydrofoils and speeding off across the water. All the wetness in Emily's hair was promptly blown out by the wind. But when she looked back, she could see two armored carriers coming after them. Finn swerved skillfully through the waves, dodging bullets and beginning to pull ahead. But when Emily looked back again, her eyes widened.

"Torpedo on our six!" She yelped.

 _BOOM!_

Water engulfed the two, and Emily barely had a moment to hold her breath. When the bubbles cleared, she noticed Finn was steadily sinking down into the water. She knocked against his hood, and he opened his eyes to look up at her as though to ask "You okay?" She nodded. Finn's wheels and hydrofoils disappeared underneath him, and what looked like wings appeared from his sides. His back wheels emerged, the rims spinning and pushing him along.

 _Submarine mode._ Emily mused, pulling out a rebreather as Finn did. _Not bad._ She noticed him open his trunk and release four spare tires, the wheels inflating and floating to the surface.

It took a couple hours before Finn was confident nobody followed them. He glided up to the surface, floating on the waves. Emily took the rebreather out of her mouth, coughing a bit as she smoothed out her wet hair. "Well. _That_ was fun, huh?"

Finn didn't answer, staring off into space. _Leland…oh Chrysler this can't be happening._

"McMissile?" Emily asked, eyebrows furrowing a bit in concern. "You didn't get brain damage from that last blow, did you?"

Still, Finn didn't answer her. He sighed before radioing Siddeley. Thankfully, the jet had been circling the area a couple hundred miles from Leland's coordinates, and he was able to reach them in mere minutes.

"Hey, Finny boy!" Siddeley greeted warmly, hovering over the spy car and lowering a ramp to him. "You know, I was expecting you to pick up Leland, not a new girlfriend."

"I am _not_ his girlfriend." Emily growled as she slid off Finn's roof. She followed the Aston Martin further into the spy jet and into a lounge-like area.

Siddeley chuckled. "Just fooling, miss. Hey Finn, where _is_ Leland?"

Finn was quiet, staring off into space. "He's gone, Siddeley."

Siddeley's smile disappeared. "Oh." He stared down sadly as he ascended higher into the air. "So, where to, sir?"

"Tokyo." Finn replied. "It's the closest lab that can analyze the photos I have."

"Afterburners, sir?" Siddeley asked, trying to sound cheery but failing.

Finn couldn't even smile. "Is there any other way?" Siddeley sped up, shooting towards Japan as Finn moved to the computers nearby and began downloading the photos. He suddenly caught sight of Emily, and he mentally kicked himself for forgetting about the female spy. "So sorry, Miss Largo. Is there anywhere we can drop you off?"

"I'm coming with you, McMissile." Emily said firmly. "This is my investigation as much as it is yours."

"That won't be necessary." Finn assured, focusing on the computers.

"It is because I was there long before you were." Emily insisted, sounding almost insulted that Finn refused her help. "That Leland guy trusted me to find you."

Finn turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "How did you end up on that rig, anyway? I only saw so many humans there and none of them were female."

"I've been researching that area for months." Emily explained. "I had been trying to catch something, _anything,_ on the radio waves but came up with nothing. Then I caught a flash transmission, or at least the sound of one, and finally got the clearance to go and investigate. Next thing I know, I'm running into Leland and he's practically begging me to go find you. Now normally, I wouldn't submit myself to babysitting someone who clearly knows what he's doing, but he insisted so much I couldn't just say 'no.'" Her stern gaze softened a degree. "I want to help. My involvement in this case is not negotiable."

Finn stared at Emily for a moment, a bit surprised. He and Leland had been so close; it didn't surprise him that Leland would've done something like this for the sake of Finn's safety, even if it meant he was eventually captured and killed. So, despite only meeting Emily in a short time frame and taking into account her attitude, Leland had decided to trust her to escape alive for Finn's sake. The Aston Martin felt like something was crushing his engine, but he knew he would have to save his mourning for when he had a private moment.

"Very well, Miss Largo." Finn nodded. "Let's send the photos we have and see what we can find out."

Emily nodded in satisfaction, looking almost proud that she had "convinced" Finn to let her come along. She sat back in one of the chairs, leaning into the backrest and propping her legs up onto another chair. She was quiet for a moment. "My condolences for Agent Turbo. The two of you must've been good friends."

Finn didn't answer, staring at the computer screens intently. But he felt a small urging to throw up as the image of Leland being crushed into a cube haunted his vision. _Leland….I'm so sorry…_


	16. C2: A Hole in the Heart

Chapter Two: A Hole in the Heart

In the deserts of Arizona, there's always the chance of getting broken down on the side of the road, even on Route 66. Luckily, there's always a certain tow truck there to help when things get rough.

"Tow Mater is here to help you!" Mater called as he approached a sputtering old car on the side of the road. The old car's engine choked terribly, making a high-pitched squealing sound when he tried to kick up the power. "Hey Otis!"

"Hey Mater." Otis greeted with a smile, looking a bit sheepish. "I'm so sorry. I thought I could make it this time, but…" He tried revving his engine, only to sputter uselessly. "Smooth like puddin', huh?"

"Well dad gum, you leakin' oil again." Mater noted, glancing at the puddle of oil on the ground. He moved behind Otis and hooked his tow hook under the smaller car's bumper. "But look on the bright side: this is your tenth tow this month so that means it's on the house."

"You're the only one that's nice to lemons like me, Mater." Otis said gratefully as Mater began towing him back to Radiator Springs.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Mater assured. "Shoot, these things happen to everybody, Otis."

"But you _never_ leak oil!" Otis cried incredulously.

"Yeah, but I ain't perfect." Mater shrugged. "Don't tell nobody, but I think mah rust is startin' to show through."

Otis looked over and spied a billboard that read "Welcome to Radiator Springs: home of Lightning McQueen." "Hey! Is Lightning McQueen back yet?"

"Not yet." Mater said, sounding a little disappointed. He sure did miss Lightning when he went on his racing tours.

"He must be crazy excited about winning his _fourth Piston Cup_!" Otis guessed, sounding quite excited himself.

"Yeah, we're so dad gum proud of him." Mater said, pride in his tone. "But I sure wish he'd hurry up and git back. Jus' me and—" Mater looked ahead as Radiator Springs came into sight, and he gasped when he saw a familiar red stock car. "McQueen!" He cried happily speeding up and seeming to forget Otis was still attached to him.

Meanwhile, the rest of the residents had gathered around to welcome Lightning back to town. Normally Lightning would take his Radiator Springs pit crew with him to races, but after his race for the Piston Cup he and Harley stayed behind while everyone else went home. That was almost a month ago, and when the town found out why they were gone so long they were ecstatic. But none of them could deny that it was good to have everyone together and back home again.

"It's good to be home, everybody." Lightning said happily. He looked up at the sound of a horn honking, and everyone turned to see a familiar tow truck come barreling up the road. Lightning lit up. "Mater!"

"McQueen!" Mater called excitedly.

"Mater!" Lightning laughed, noticing Mater was hauling a car behind him at breakneck speed.

"McQueen!" Mater finally turned and skidded to a halt, the whiplash from his hook sending Otis spinning like crazy right into Ramone's shop and onto a lift. After making sure he didn't accidentally smash Otis against a wall, Mater turned his attention to Lighting. "McQueen! Welcome back!"

"Mater, it's so good to see you!" Lightning said happily, having missed his best friend while he was gone. The two began their usual "best friend greeting," which usually never stayed the same as everyone noticed.

"You too, buddy!" Mater said happily. "Oh man, you ain't gonna believe the thigs I got planned fer us!"

The townsfolk watched amusedly. It couldn't be denied that Lightning and Mater were definitely the best of friends. It almost felt like they were brothers. "Oh, these best friend greetings. They get longer every year!" Mack noted with a warm smile as the pair finished their greeting.

"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?"

Mater turned as Harley skated up, and if it were possible to explode from excitement Mater would do it. "Sissy!" He nearly ran Harley over as he hurried to the girl and nuzzled her. Harley laughed as she hugged the tow truck.

"Hey Mater." Harley sighed happily. "Oh boy did I miss you." Mater reversed and smiled warmly at the girl. The now-sixteen-year-old had certainly grown up some, but it did little to affect her overall look. Her cobalt-streaked, rust-colored hair reached almost to her elbows and developed a bit of a curl, always pulled back in a ponytail. In honor of her late father, she had also adopted a jacket to her usual outfit: cobalt blue, like Doc's paintjob, with copies of his old racing stickers across the sleeves and a quote from Doc on the back that read "If you're goin' hard enough left, you'll find yourself turnin' right." Harley wore the jacket proudly, often keeping it unzipped to show her Hudson Hornet themed shirt.

"You ready to have some serious fun?" Mater asked his sister and best friend excitedly.

"Well actually, I've got somethin' to show you first." Lightning said. "Harley, is it ready?"

"Set up and ready to go, Speed Racer." Harley nodded. She and Lightning led Mater to the racing museum and into Doc's wing. Resting near the wall was the Piston Cup trophy Lightning won, only now the trophy read "Hudson Hornet Piston Cup" and featured a small sculpture of Doc on the top.

"Wow!" Mater breathed. "They renamed the Piston Cup after our very own Doc Hudson!"

Lightning smiled proudly, but his face fell as he drove to the other wall and stared at the newspaper clippings of Doc in his racing days. "I know Doc said these things were just old cups, but…to have someone else win it just didn't feel right, you know?" He stared sadly at the pictures of his old crew chief. Harley had since taken over the position, a request Lightning made personally when he started racing after Doc's death. Though nearly everyone was surprised Lightning trusted the job to a fifteen-year-old, he had insisted because he knew Harley was trained well enough by Doc to know what she was talking about. Harley had long since shown how well she could handle the job.

Harley sighed as she stared at Doc's picture. "Gosh, I miss him."

"Well Doc would've been real proud of both of ya." Mater said, making the two of them smile.

"All right, pal. I've been waiting all summer for this." Lightning said as they exited the museum.

"Oh-ho-ho! You sure you kin handle it?" Mater asked, nudging Lightning playfully.

"Come on, you know who you're talkin' to?" Lightning smirked. "This is Lightning McQueen! I can handle anything!"

"Awright!" Mater cheered. "You wanna come, Harley?"

"Actually, I'm going to spend the rest of the day with Doc." Harley said. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

"Sure thing." Lightning nodded. "Tell Doc we said 'hi'." He and Mater waved as Harley skated off.

* * *

Harley skated through town, waving to everyone as she passed their shops. She even patted Stanley's statue as she skated past it, going around the courthouse and towards a large plot of land at the base of the mesa behind the town. Two graves rested at the bottom of the hill. One was Stanley's, weathered a bit from age. The second was much newer, the desert not having a chance to make it really dirty like Stanley's. Harley carried a bucket of water in one hand, carefully dumping the liquid over the two graves to clean them. Nodding in satisfaction, she sat before the second grave and read the writing carved into the tombstone.

 _Paul "Doc" Hudson_

 _aka The Fabulous Hudson Hornet_

 _He was known for many things, but most of all for being a_

 _Racer_

 _Father_

 _Friend_

Harley smiled warmly, scooting a little closer to the tombstone. "Hey Daddy. Lightning won his fourth Piston Cup. And guess what? They renamed it in your honor! Isn't that cool? To heck with modesty and being humble, that's just flat-out awesome! Racing season went well. I certainly hope I'm making you proud and doing an okay job with the whole crew chief thing. Everyone else in town thinks I am. It's only because I learned from the best." She laughed lightly. "But now we're taking a break from racing to spend some time at home. It looks like Lightning's really happy to be back. So am I." She smiled warmly. "I really miss you. But I'm here now; so what memory should we go through today?" She pressed her hand to the dirt, only a few inches from Doc's tombstone. She closed her eyes in concentration, allowing her psyche human powers to make the connection.

* * *

" _Doc, I can't sleep." Five-year-old Harley complained as she leaned against the door frame to her adoptive father's room._

 _Doc looked up from the book he had been looking through, staring at Harley worriedly. He gestured for her to come in, and the child quickly moved to stand by his side. He lifted a tire and helped her climb onto his hood. "What's the problem, darlin'?"_

 _Harley hugged her blanket. "I can't make myself go to sleep. Can you sing to me?"_

 _Doc looked a little nervous. "I don't know, sweetheart. I'm not exactly the best singer."_

" _You can try." Harley shrugged a little, staring at him with very innocent, crystal blue eyes._

 _As stern and rough as Doc could be, he was a sucker when it came to his little girl. He couldn't say "no," not even to something as simple as singing to her. But he wasn't lying; he couldn't remember a time when he ever sang to anyone or at all for that matter. What on earth could he sing? He finally nodded and allowed Harley to get comfortable as she lay on his hood. He searched his memories, wondering what he could sing that would be soothing enough to make Harley sleep and also not sound terrible with his voice. He remembered some of the songs Harley liked to listen to with her CD player, and one song in particular came to mind. He waited until Harley was fully settled before he cleared his throat and began._

 _Surprising enough, Harley's eyes actually began to flutter shut at the sound of Doc's voice. The old racecar continued to sing softly, hoping he didn't hit a wrong note. But he smiled warmly as he finished the song and Harley seemed to full fall asleep. She breathed evenly, sighing softly. Doc quietly rolled from his room and back to Harley's room, gently lowering the girl onto her bed._

" _Hey Doc." Harley murmured, still keeping her eyes shut._

" _Yes, Harley?" Doc asked._

" _You're right about your singing." Harley sighed. "You sound like a bag of gravel."_

 _Doc's hood burned in embarrassment, and he chuckled albeit nervously._

" _But….." Harley yawned, sleep taking over her. "I like it when you sing."_

 _Doc stared at his daughter in surprise, then smiled warmly and gently nuzzled the girl. "Love you, Harley. Goodnight."_

* * *

Back in the present, Harley opened her eyes and allowed the connection to break. She smiled warmly. "I didn't think your voice was _that_ bad." Harley giggled. "Glad you stuck with racing, though." She giggled again, patting the soil under her hand.

Harley didn't know if she necessarily believed in ghosts. But something told her the spirits of Doc and Stanley constantly watched over the town. Harley discovered some months after Doc's death that she was able to somehow use her psych-man powers to connect with her father's spirit, and often used it to relive some of their fondest memories over the years. It became almost therapeutic for the teenager. She always kept her promise to never be sad for Doc's passing, yet she couldn't help but miss seeing him around town. She continued to live in the clinic, with Sheriff as her legal guardian. He was no Doc, but Sheriff had always been more of a father figure than an uncle over the years, so it made the transition much easier for Harley.

The brunette sighed and leaned back, letting the sun wash over her freckled face. _Wonder what Mater and Lightning are doing. Hopefully Mater isn't dragging the poor racer through anything dangerous._ Harley sighed again, a little sadder this time. She loved that Mater finally found a best friend; he needed a little more contact with someone a bit closer to his age. But for some reason, Harley felt a twinge of loneliness nowadays. She still had a wonderful family with the Radiator Springs' townsfolk, especially with Lightning and Mack joining the family; she had a great home; she loved her job as Lightning's crew chief and traveling to races. Everything should've been perfect for her.

Except when Doc died, he seemed to take a piece of Harley's heart with him. Even though she never cried over his death, she couldn't fill the hole in her heart no matter what she did.


	17. C2: Beginning a New Adventure

Chapter Three: Beginning a New Adventure

That evening, most everyone went up to Wheel Well to celebrate Lightning's return. Harley followed some time later, spying Lightning and Sally at one of the tables. No doubt they were both thrilled to see each other again. Harley didn't blame them; it was nice to see the two lovebirds together. She saw Mater carrying a tray and wearing a bowtie license plate, no doubt pretending to be a waiter to hang out with Lightning some more. _Man, that guy needs a girlfriend._ Harley thought with a giggle as she wandered into the Wheel Well building.

"Hey guys." Harley greeted as she approached Fillmore, Sarge, Luigi, Mater, and Guido at the bar. The men greeted her briefly before returning their attention to the television. Harley sat on the counter, following their gaze to see The Mel Dorado Show on. A green Range Rover with solar panels on his sides and roof was being interviewed, the title card below him labeling the car as Sir Miles Axlerod.

" _And on satellite, a World Grand Prix competitor, and one of the fastest cars in the world: Francesco Bernoulli."_ Mel Dorado introduced. A new figure appeared, this time a red, white, and green Formula One racecar.

" _It is an honor,_ Signore _Dorado."_ Francesco said, apparently live from Rome, Italy. _"For you."_

Harley rolled her eyes. _Oy vey._

" _Miles, why not invite Lightning McQueen?"_ Mel asked, surprising the Radiator Springs' folks.

" _Of course we invited him, but apparently after his very long racing season he is taking some time off to rest."_ Miles explained.

" _The Lightning McQueen would not have a chance against Francesco."_ Francesco boasted. _"I can go over three hundred kilometers an hour. In miles, that is like…way faster than McQueen!"_

"That's one hundred eighty-six miles an hour." Harley droned. "And Speed Racer can go two hundred."

"Did you know about this race?" Sarge asked.

"Yeah, I got the email." Harley nodded. Being crew chief meant she was in charge of Lightning's racing email and kept track of all his races and invitations to races. "Speed Racer and I talked about it and he decided he wanted to take some time off. I don't blame him; it's been a long and quite eventful season."

" _Yeah that Italian feller you got on there can't talk that way about Lightnin' McQueen. He's the bestest racecar in the whole wide world."_

Harley perked up at the sound of Mater's voice on the TV, and she glanced over to where Mater was once standing. Upon finding a lack of tow truck, she and the rest of the boys turned to see Mater was on the phone nearby.

"Uh oh." Sarge said worriedly. He and everyone else turned their attention to the TV again as Francesco responded.

" _If he is, how you say, 'the bestest racecar,' then why must he rest? Huh?"_ Francesco asked snidely.

"' _Cause he knows what's important!"_ Mater snapped. _"Ev'ry now and then he prefers jus' ta slow down, enjoy life."_

" _Oh! You heard it! Lightning McQueen prefers to be slow!"_ Francesco laughed, the argument drawing attention from the other Wheel Well patrons. _"Of course, this is not news to Francesco. When I want to go to sleep, I watch one of his races. After two laps, I am out cold."_

Most of the patrons gasped a bit, murmuring. "That ain't what I meant!" Mater snapped.

Harley growled a bit. "Oh I'm gonna reach right through that phone and throttle that Francesco Bernoulli!" She moved to jump off the counter only for Guido to suddenly grab her and hold her back. Harley finally stopped struggling enough to catch sight of Lightning staring at her questioningly. She and Guido gestured to the phone booth, where Mater's back end stuck out.

" _Mel, can we move on?"_ Francesco requested, sounding bored. _"Francesco needs a caller who can provide a little more intellectual stimulation, like a dump truck."_

"Oh now I'm _really_ going to kill him!" Harley growled.

" _Smettila, piccolo."_ Guido said firmly.

"Ha-ha! That shows what you know. Dump trucks is dumb!" Mater laughed. He yelped when somebody grabbed his tow hook and yanked him out of the phone booth.

Lightning drove forward and approached the phone. "Yeah, hi. This is Lightning McQueen."

" _The Lightning McQueen, huh?"_ Francesco looked happy to actually talk to McQueen.

"Look, I don't appreciate my best friend being insulted like that." Lightning said, trying to keep a lid on his anger.

Francesco smirked. _"This is the difference between you and Francesco. Francesco knows how good he is. He does not need to surround himself with tow trucks to prove it."_

"Those are strong words from a car that is so fragile." Lightning said with a smirk.

Harley immediately busted up laughing. "Oh! Burn!"

" _Fragile?! He-a calls Francesco fragile?!"_ Francesco shouted, his mood doing a complete 180. _"Not-a so fast, McQueen!"_

"'Not so fast.'" Lightning mused. "What is that, you're new motto?"

" _Motto?!"_ Francesco snapped, beginning to shout in Italian until Mel could shut off the Formula One car's mic.

" _Well, this sounds like something that needs to be settled on the race course."_ Miles noted. _"What do you say, Lightning McQueen?"_

"Well, I would love to." Lightning said. "Except my crew is off for the season, so…." He heard the distinct sound of spraying paint, and he looked to the counter to see Ramone painted a quick banner that read "Team Lightning McQueen." Luigi, Sarge, and Fillmore stood ready with smiles. Guido quickly and skillfully popped the corks off some champagne bottles and Harley twirled her wrench.

"Peet stop!" Guido called.

Lightning smirked. "You know what? They just got back. Deal me in, baby. Ka-chow!"

The entire Wheel Well cheered for the racer. Lightning hung up the phone and reversed out just in time to catch Harley skating over to hug him. "All right, Speed Racer. Looks like we're goin' on a road trip."

"You sure you don't mind?" Lightning asked. "It's gonna be a long way from home."

"Yeah, but Radiator Springs will still be here when I get back." Harley assured. "No way are you goin' without me."

Lightning chuckled, looking to Sally as the Porsche approached. "I know, I know, I just got back. But we won't be long—"

"Oh no, don't worry about me." Sally assured. "Mater's going to have a blast, though." She noticed the change in Lightning's expression. "Oh come on, Stickers. You never bring him to any of your races." Lightning and Harley cast a look towards said tow truck just in time to see him taste a drink only to spit it back in the cup again. They both smirked. Sally could sort of understand Lightning's hesitance; Mater wasn't exactly professional unless it came to his line of work. The guy was like a young boy in a man's body. But she knew it would mean the world to him if he could join his best friend and little sister on such an adventure. "Just let him sit in the pits. Give him a headset. It will be the thrill of a lifetime for him."

"I can keep an eye on him too." Harley offered. "He'll listen to me." Lightning couldn't argue with that. Harley and Mater shared a very close bond as surrogate siblings, and Mater often did whatever Harley said.

"Your drink, sir." Mater said as he came up.

"Mater." Lightning said.

"I didn't taste it!" Mater said hurriedly.

Lightning smiled. "How'd you like to come and see the world with me?"

Mater gasped, smiling broadly. "You mean it?"

"Yeah! You got me into this thing. You're comin' along." Lightning confirmed.

"All right!" Mater cheered.

* * *

The next day, Ramone decked out Lightning with some new racing decals: flame accents, his number 95, and a Hudson Hornet Piston Cup logo painted on his hood. Ramone was also able to paint on the World Grand Prix logo with the American flag and install a set of headlights onto the red stock car. Along with Mater, Lightning chose Luigi, Guido, Sarge, and Fillmore to join him as his pit crew with Harley. Each of the vehicles received a large sticker shaped like a flame with a number 95 on it, labeling them as Lightning's team. Harley received a black T-shirt with the sticker printed on the front, along with the words "Crew Chief" printed in red underneath the sticker.

Days later, the team boarded a jet and departed for Tokyo, Japan, where the first race would take place. Sheriff, Ramone, Flo, Sally, and Red saw them off, with some sobbing on Red's part. The plane ride was comfortable, especially since they were able to get first class seats. Harley spent much of her time on the flight with Mater and Lightning, reading through a Japanese language book to at least have a basic understanding of how to speak the language. She tried to teach the boys some of it, but they were too distracted watching Japanese game shows the entire flight.

Upon arriving in Japan, Harley decided to mostly ride in Mater's flatbed for the sake of not getting run over in the busy streets. She stared in wonder at the city of Tokyo, amazed by it all. She had never been to such a big city before in her entire life, and the tall buildings surrounding her made the brunette feel rather small. But she continued to stare in awe. The team spent a few days in Tokyo, getting a look around the area. Harley insisted on going to see a geisha dance, which the rest of the team seemed to enjoy. Mater got a little too into it, getting a strange red and white paintjob along with a wig and paper umbrella. Harley managed to bite back her giggles, but she could see Lightning was a bit embarrassed. So she suggested a sumo match the next day, which allowed Lightning and Mater to go wild with cheering. The team relied much on Harley's language skills, even if she spoke in very broken and rough Japanese.

Finally, the night before the race came. Miles Axlerod invited all the competitors and their teams to a major pre-game party celebrating the start of the race. The party setting featured flashing camera lights, a calm yet exciting atmosphere, and plenty of good music. It was hard to hide the excitement as the Radiator Springs team rolled into the large building where the party took place.

"Look at this!" Lightning breathed, amazed by the beautifully built and decorated building. "Mater, remember: best behavior."

"You got it, buddy." Mater nodded. "Hey, what's that?" He sped off before Lightning could stop him.

"Mater!" Lightning called.

"Don't worry, I'll go keep an eye on him." Harley assured, skating after her surrogate brother.

Mater rolled up to a section of the room blocked off by glass windows. Inside was a smaller vehicle dragging a rake through the sand. Mater tapped his tow hook against the glass, catching the attention of the vehicle (and some of the patrons around him). "Hey! You done good. You got all the leaves."

Harley giggled. "Mater, he's not raking leaves. It's called rock gardening. It's a very Zen-like. He's carving the sand to make it look like ocean waves."

"Oh!" Mater nodded. He looked to the vehicle inside. "Good job!"

"Mater!" Lightning hissed, making Mater and Harley jump. They began rolling off and away from the glass. "Listen, this isn't Radiator Springs."

"Yer just realizin' that?" Mater asked, surprised.

"Mater, look, things are different over here." Lightning explained gently. "Which means maybe you should, you know, act a little different too."

"Lightning." Harley hissed, frowning a bit.

"Different than what?" Mater asked.

"Well, just help me out here, buddy." Lightning said.

"You need help?" Mater perked up. "Why didn't you jus' say so? That's what a tow truck does."

Lightning mentally sighed. "Yeah, I mean….."

"Hey, looky there!" Mater gestured to a corner of the room where a familiar Formula One stood. "It's Mister San Francisco! I'll introduce you."

"Mater, no!" Lightning groaned as he and Harley were forced to follow Mater up to the platform where Francesco stood.

"Look at me. I'm helpin' you already!" Mater said proudly. "Hey Mister San Francisco!"

Francesco turned to see the familiar racecar. "Ah, Lightning McQueen! _Buona sera."_

Lightning swallowed a bit, but put on a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Francesco."

"Nice to meet you too." Francesco said, brushing off the greeting. "You are very good-looking. Not as good as I thought, but you're good. And-a certainly not as good as-a this beautiful flower here." He looked to Harley at that last comment. _"Buona sera, fiore."_

Harley blinked, her cheeks going a bit red. "Oh, thank you. And _buona sera. Il mio nome é Harley Hudson."_

"Ah, and-a such good taste in language!" Francesco laughed.

"Your drink, Francesco." A young human man said as he came up, setting a drink down before the Formula One.

" _Grazie."_ Francesco said. He looked to Harley. "This is-a Raul. He is a part of my crew."

"And what an honor it is to be part of your crew, _signore."_ Raul said. "So much easier to change the tires without the fenders." He approached Harley and took her hand in his. "Don't you-a think so, _signorina_?" He kissed the girl's hand.

Harley had stopped blushing, and she chuckled albeit nervously. "Honey, I'm more than just the crew; I'm the crew _chief._ " She slid her hand from Raul's grasp, smirking.

"Ah, I love a woman who can-a take charge." Raul chuckled walking off. Harley chuckled a bit too before the sound morphed to a groan.

"Kin I git a picture with you?" Mater asked Francesco.

"Anything for McQueen's friend." Francesco agreed, allowing Mater to roll up beside him so the pictures could be taken.

"Miss Sally is gonna flip when she sees this!" Mater gushed in his excitement. "She's Lightning McQueen's girlfriend. She's a big fan of yers."

"Mater's prone to exaggeration." Lightning explained with a smile. "She's not a 'big fan.'"

"Yer right. She's a _huge_ fan!" Mater corrected. "She goes on and on about yer open wheels, here."

"Well, mentioning it once doesn't qualify as going on and on." Lightning protested.

"Dude, that night back at Wheel Well was just the first time she said it while you were in earshot." Harley whispered to Lightning, making him blink in surprise.

"Francesco is familiar with this reaction." Francesco assured. "Women respect a car that has-a nothing to hide."

Lightning faltered a bit at the subtle, backhanded comment. It took every ounce of willpower Harley had to not slap that smirk right off Francesco's face.

"Let us have a toast!" Francesco suggested. "I dedicate my win tomorrow to Miss Sally."

"Oh, sorry, I already dedicated _my_ win tomorrow to her." Lightning said, a smile still on his face. "Besides, I don't have a drink."

"Well I go git ya one!" Mater offered, not catching Lightning's point that he kind of wanted to leave. "Hey, you mind if I borrow a few bucks fer one of them drinks?"

"They're free, Mater." Lightning droned.

"Free?" Mater exclaimed. "Well shoot, what am I doin' here?" He turned and sped off, much to Harley's amusement.

Lightning fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I should probably go keep an eye on him. See ya at the race."

"Yes, you will see Francesco." The Italian racecar said, halting Lightning and Harley's attempt to leave. "But not like this. You will see him like-a this, as he drives away from you." Francesco turned around and showed his bumper to McQueen, where he had stamped stickers that read "Ciao McQueen."

Lightning forced a chuckle. "Hey, that's cute. Did you have one of those made for all the racers?"

Francesco turned to smirk at McQueen. "No."

"Okay." Lightning smirked as he drove off, Harley skating right beside him.

" _Ciao,_ McQueen!" Francesco called.

Lightning glared. "He is _so_ getting beat tomorrow."

"Oh relax." Harley waved a hand dismissively. "You could wipe the floor with his oh so fancy open wheels."

"Hey, I thought you said you were gonna keep an eye on Mater." Lightning said.

"Lightning, he can't help but be himself." Harley shrugged. "I'm sure he'll stay out of trouble. You just focus on socializing with everybody."

"Yeah, but—" Lightning was interrupted by a voice over a speaker system, introducing Sir Miles Axlerod. "Oh! We're starting!"

"Well come on!" Harley urged. "Let's go check it out!"

* * *

With most everyone focused on Miles introducing the racers, Finn and Emily found that sneaking into the building was much easier than they thought. They drove/walked casually through the crowd before finding a more secluded and private location just behind one of the art structures in the building. Emily kept a lookout for suspicious characters while Finn activated his camera, scanning the television cameras near Miles for matches to the camera from the derrick. Much to his vexation, none of the cameras matched, but he did take notice of a purple Jaguar milling about the area. The moment she locked eyes onto him, however, the Jaguar began making her way over.

"Ooh, sexy hot rod at twelve o'clock, eh Finn?" Emily chuckled, only to yelp in pain when Finn kicked her with his tire. He put on his normal, suave smile as the Jaguar approached.

"Oh, hello." The Jaguar greeted, her soft feminine tone laced with British dialect.

"Hello." Finn returned the greeting in his own accent.

"A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia has no radiator." The Jaguar said.

"That's because it's air-cooled." Finn replied.

The Jaguar smiled warmly. "I'm Agent Holley Shiftwell from the Tokyo station. I have a message from London."

"Not here." Finn whispered, beginning to drive off and forcing Emily and Holley to follow. The three of them entered one of the glass elevators, giving them the privacy they needed to talk. "So the lab boys analyzed the photo? What did they learn about the camera?"

"It appears to be a standard television camera." Holley said. "But the oil platforms you were on? They're sitting on the biggest oil reserve in the world."

"How did we miss that?" Finn wondered aloud.

"They've been scrambling everyone's satellites." Holley explained. "The Americans discovered it just before you did and placed an agent on that platform under deep cover." Holley explained. "He was able to get a photo of the car who's running the entire operation."

"Great." Finn nodded, the three of them exiting the elevator. "Miss Largo, any idea who this undercover agent is?"

"How should I know? Not in my unit, most likely not in my department." Emily explained with an almost bored tone. "I tracked that area for quite a while before I was allowed to go near it. Which means I need to have a serious talk with my supervisor."

"Then who is it?" Finn asked Holley. "Has anyone seen the photo yet?"

"Nope, not yet." Holley replied. "The American is here tonight to pass it to you. He'll signal you when he's ready."

"Good, good." Finn nodded, smiling a bit. Things were finally falling into place. Of course, that was the one moment when everything went wrong. Finn's eyes widened a bit at the sight of Zündapp, two Gremlins, and a Pacer entering the building. "Oh no." Finn murmured, reversing backwards and out of sight. Emily and Holley turned to him in surprise.

"What is it?" Holley asked.

"Change of plan." Finn told the Jaguar. "You're meeting the American."

"What?" Holley asked, surprised. "Me?"

"Those thugs down there were on the oil platform and think I'm dead." Finn explained. "If they see me, the whole mission is compromised."

"No, no." Holley shook her hood. "I'm technical, you see. I'm in diagnostics. I'm not a field agent."

Finn smirked. "You are now."

Holley swallowed. "Um…."

"Oh just lug nut up and get out there." Emily huffed.

Holley stared at Emily, rather insulted. "Excuse me? I haven't been trained as a field agent! Forgive me if I feel unprepared for such a task!"

Emily sighed, but she could understand Holley's hesitance. Emily knew the feeling of jumping into a new job as a field agent when working on a computer made up the beginning of one's career. "Tell you what: there's a chance those guys won't recognize me." Emily offered. "I'll go stealth and watch your back…er, trunk."

Holley cast a slightly irritated glare at Emily before looking to Finn worriedly. "Are you sure about this?"

"It's our only chance." Finn confirmed.

Holley took a deep breath. "All right. I'll do it."

* * *

 **A/N: Italian translations, which I had to get from Google Translate so apologies to those fluent in the language:**

 _ **Smettila**_ **– stop it**

 _ **Buona sera**_ **– good evening**

 _ **Fiore**_ **– flower**

 _ **Il mio nome é Harley Hudson**_ **– My name is Harley Hudson (probably easy to guess)**

 _ **Grazie**_ **– Thank you**


	18. C2: Saving Face, Meeting New Ones

Chapter Four: Saving Face, Meeting New Ones

"And now, our last competitor." Miles introduced. "Number 95: Lightning McQueen!"

Lightning drove up onto the stage, flashing a headlight and saying his usual "Ka-chow!" He approached Miles and smiled warmly. "Thank you so much for having us, Sir Axlerod. This is a great opportunity." He cast a glance to Harley, standing at the bottom of the ramp to the platform, and the teenager gave him a thumbs-up. Doc taught him that brief speeches should be given eloquently and with modesty, a lesson Harley firmly implanted in Lightning's head.

"Oh, the pleasure is all ours, Lightning." Miles complimented. "You and your team bring excellence and professionalism to this competition."

A sudden scream rang out, bringing the proceedings to a grinding halt. Harley turned and gasped at the sight of Mater tearing through the crowd, his tongue hanging out as he screamed in pain. He even shot straight up to the platform and to the waterfall behind Lightning and Miles, sticking his tongue underneath the running water. He seemed to calm down considerably after that, but Harley became forced to slap her hands over her mouth to hide her laughter. At the sight of Lightning looking downright mortified, she cleared her throat and stood up tall. _Oh Mater's really gonna hear it from him after this._ She thought, a small smile on her face.

Lightning wished the ground would just swallow him whole. "Sir Axlerod, I can explain. This is Mater. He's…"

"No, I know him." Miles assured, still looking surprised but smiling broadly. "This is the bloke that called in to the television show. I must thank you for convincing McQueen to enter."

"No, thank _you_." Mater said graciously. "This trip's been amazin'."

Miles' eyes widened a bit and his face fell at the sight of something wet and inky black suddenly appearing on the floor. "He's a little excited, isn't he?"

"Uh oh." Harley winced a bit.

"Mater!" Lightning scolded.

Mater stumbled a bit over his words. "Oh, shoot."

"Mater." Lightning jerked his hood to one side, gesturing to Mater to follow him down to the bottom of the platform ramp. He glared at the tow truck and whispered in a stern voice. "Mater, you're making a scene!"

"But I never leak oil." Mater protested.

"Yeah, relax." Harley said soothingly. "It was kind of funny."

"It was not!" Lightning hissed, still glaring at Mater. "Go clean yourself up right now!" Mater looked down shamefully as he drove off in a hurry. Lightning caught sight of the look on Miles' face, and he grinned sheepishly.

"Okay, just calm down." Harley said calmly to the stock car. "You're only making a bigger scene by yellin' at him."

"I wasn't yelling." Lightning protested.

"You kinda were."

"Harley—"

"Wait a minute, aren't you Harley Hudson?" Miles suddenly piped up, looking excited again. "The daughter of the Hudson Hornet! Why don't you come up and talk for a bit?"

Harley ducked her head shyly. "Oh, I don't think—"

"No, Harley, please go up there." Lightning practically begged in a quiet voice. "It'll be good for the team's image and it'll help everyone forget about what happened. You're good at that. Please, Harley, please!"

Harley giggled. "Okay, okay! I'll do it."

"Great! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss Harley Hudson!" Miles said into the microphone, eliciting cheers from the crowd as Harley rolled up beside the Rover. "Welcome, Miss Hudson. It is such an honor to have The Fabulous Hudson Hornet's legacy with us for this event."

"Well it's an honor to be here." Harley said. "It's given me quite an amazing opportunity to travel the world. And learn a bit of Japanese, although my language skills are a bit rusted. Can't wait to get to Italy; much better with that language."

"Speaking of rusted, that tow truck must make traveling interesting, huh?" Miles chuckled, causing laughter from many of the patrons.

Harley kept her warm smile to hide her disdain at that last comment. "Yeah, that's Mater for ya. But you know, everyone makes mistakes now and then and might look a bit silly. But nobody's perfect; embarrassing things happen to everyone." Harley made a small move closer to Miles when her skate suddenly hit a patch of oil still on the ground. She yelped as she slipped and hit the ground, much to the amusement of everyone at the party. Lightning groaned, frowning at the sound of Francesco's chuckles. But he blinked in surprise when Harley started laughing. "See? Even the daughter of the Hudson Hornet can't be smooth _all_ the time."

"Are you quite all right?" Miles chuckled.

"Yep." In a swift movement, Harley managed to twist and push herself back to her feet. "My father always taught me that when you fall down, the only other way to go is up again."

"A wonderful philosophy to live by." Miles nodded, and several of the patrons clapped or honked their horns.

Lightning perked up, sighing in relief. _Thank you, Harley._

"You must've learned quite a bit from your father." Miles guessed. "I mean, you're the youngest crew chief in all of the world, in all of racing history. How does that feel?"

Harley sighed softly. "Wonderful. I never imagined my life would lead to having a position like this. But really, I can only thank my father for that. He's the one who taught me about being a crew chief, about everything related to racing. There are times when I wonder if I'm really living up to the legacy of The Fabulous Hudson Hornet. But every time Lightning wins a race, every time we come home with a new trophy or leave with a new skill learned, I know I must be doing _somethin'_ right. I know that if he could be here, he would. I'd even dare to say I think I'm making him awfully proud." She turned out to the audience before her. "Win or lose in these races, I know the entire team of Lightning McQueen will show the world that we know what we're doin'. And I thank you, Sir Miles Axlerod, for giving us this opportunity to show what we can do." She gave a small bow to the Rover, one he returned as the audience clapped and cheered for the girl. Harley rolled down the ramp, feeling heat rising in her cheeks and glad she left her jacket at the hotel. Something wet on her hand caught her attention, and she discovered some of Mater's oil on her palm. But as she sniffed the liquid and rubbed it between her fingers, she realized it wasn't anything like Mater's oil. Harley glanced a little back towards Miles, but shrugged and pulled a cloth from her pocket to wipe the oil off.

"Oh Harley, thank you!" Lightning cried happily as he approached the brunette. "Thank you thank you thank you so much! I owe you big time. Whatever you want, you got it."

Harley laughed. "It's okay, Lightning. We'll just call it part of my job. But tomorrow I'm giving you a personal checkup before the race."

"What? Why?" Lightning whined. Doc always insisted on doing Lightning's health checks himself and then taught Harley how; but no matter who did it, Lightning always hated them.

"Because I want to make sure _you're_ not the one leaking oil." Harley explained.

"What?" Lightning gaped. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Lightning, I just fell in some of that oil. It's not Mater's." Harley reasoned. "I know because I've had to help Doc with working on Mater's oil lines before. If there's something wrong with one of your parts, I want to make sure we have time to fix it before the race."

Lightning sighed. Hard to argue with that. Harley was so much like her father, and one of the ways it showed was through her attentiveness to the health and safety of her family, especially Lightning. "Fine. But there is _no way_ I'm the one that was leaking."

"Whatever you say." Harley rolled her eyes, laughing.

"You okay?" Lightning asked. "You looked like you took quite the hard fall."

"I'm fine." Harley nodded. "I'm just glad I didn't have my wrench or paintball gun in my pocket."

"I still can't believe you packed that paintball gun." Lightning rolled his eyes.

"Hey, if some guy tries to mug me in an alleyway, I want them to think I'm armed and dangerous." Harley shrugged.

"You're always armed and dangerous just for carrying a wrench around." Lightning laughed. "And when are you going to end up in an alleyway anyway?"

"You never know." Harley shrugged. "Now what are you doing hangin' around a teenage girl? Go have fun, talk to the other racers. I'm going to find Mater and make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble."

"You're the best, Harley." Lightning said gratefully. "See ya around!" Harley waved as she skated off, trying to figure out where Mater could've disappeared to.

Harley thought for sure it would be easy to spot a rusted tow truck amongst the party goers, but it turned out to be easier said than done. She managed to get directions to the bathroom and discovered a set of doors. Checking her Japanese-English dictionary, she opened the door on the right and peered inside. Only a small hallway, with the stalls around the corner no doubt. She heard squealing tires and a loud _POP_ that sounded suspiciously like a gunshot. Then it sounded like someone crashed into a wall. But Harley hesitated in the doorway. No way would she risk going inside the men's room and getting caught. Besides, she could just be hearing a drunk person running into the wall.

"Hey Mater?" Harley called. "You doin' okay in there?"

Rod, Grem, and Acer froze in the middle of their fight, waiting with baited breath. Rod had a split-second idea to call out for help, but that idea was immediately squashed out. Dragging a civilian into a spy matter was suicidal, dangerous, and utterly stupid. It couldn't be done unless absolutely necessary, and he could handle this.

"Mater?" Harley called again. "You in there?" Unfortunately, Mater was too busy struggling with the toilet controls to hear her. Harley shrugged and skated away from the door.

The minute the door shut, the fight started up again.

Harley decided to try the second floor, looking all around for her surrogate brother. "Oh Mater. Marco Mater." She called softly. She began muttering under her breath as she skated, not exactly looking where she was going. "Okay, this is where you say 'Polo Harley' because I'm tryin' to find you. How in the heck do you lose sight of tow truck any—oof!" Harley grunted in pain as she hit a car and face planted right onto the vehicle's hood. She groaned in pain, briefly feeling something like a static shock. She readjusted her glasses and glanced down to the silvery-blue metal of the car she still leaned against. Harley looked over and her crystal blue eyes locked onto the aqua green eyes of the Aston Martin she ran into. The teen straightened quickly. "Oh! Sorry about that. Uh, I mean, _gomenasai._ "

" _Iie, daijoubu desu."_ Finn said smoothly, keeping a calm demeanor in front of the human brunette.

"Um….." Harley held up a finger in a "one moment" gesture before pulling out her dictionary. She flipped through it a bit. "Um…tow truck…. _o mimasu…..ka?"_

Despite her broken Japanese, Finn could understand. He shook his hood, replying, _"Iie. Mimasendeshita."_

"Dang it." Harley groaned. "Well, _arigatō."_

" _Jya ne."_ Finn nodded as Harley skated off.

The brunette made a "hm" sound as she rolled away. "British Aston Martin. Nice models." She mused.

 _What an interesting young girl._ Finn thought.

" _You've got to be joking."_ Holley said over the radio.

"What's the problem, Shiftwell?" Finn asked.

" _He's in the loo!"_

"So go in!"

" _I can't just go into the men's loo!"_

"Time is of the essence, Shiftwell!" Finn urged.

" _All right."_ Holley said reluctantly.

" _Yeesh, could you be any more of a priss?"_ Emily huffed.

"Miss Largo!" Finn scolded. "Just keep a lookout."

" _Yes, yes, I got it."_ Emily said dismissively.

Finn rolled his eyes. _I don't know how much more of that woman I can take._

* * *

Harley caught sight of Lightning, Luigi, Guido, Sarge, and Fillmore near the doors, ready to leave to return to the hotel. "Hey guys! Have you seen Mater?"

"We thought he was with you." Lightning said. "Weren't you going to find him?"

"Yeah, but I've looked all over the place and haven't seen him." Harley said. "I'm getting a little worried about—" Harley paused when she noticed Mater finally rolling up to them. "Oh. There he is."

"There you are. Where have you been?" Lightning asked, confused at the look on Mater's face.

"What's a 'rendezvous'?" Mater asked, a slightly dreamy tone coming to his voice.

"Er…it's like a date." Luigi explained.

"A date?" Mater asked, shocked at first but quickly growing excited.

"Mater, what's going on?" Lightning asked, chuckling a bit. It was clear he wasn't too angry anymore about what happened earlier.

"Well what's goin' on is I got me a date tomorrow." Mater said proudly.

" _Non ci credo."_ Guido said, crossing his forks.

"Guido don't believe you." Luigi translated with a similar deadpan look as his forklift friend.

"Well believe it." Mater said. "My new girlfriend jus' said so. Hey, there she is. Hey! Hey, lady!" Everyone followed Mater's gaze to a sleek purple Jaguar across the room. "See ye tomorrah!"

" _Non ci credo."_ Guido repeated.

"Guido still don't believe you." Luigi translated.

"Dang, Mater." Harley laughed. "You got game."

* * *

 **A/N: Japanese translations:**

 _ **Gomenasai**_ **– sorry**

 _ **Iie, daijoubu desu**_ **– No, it's all right**

 **Tow truck** _ **o mimasu ka**_ **– Did you see a tow truck?**

 _ **Iie. Mimasendeshita**_ **– No. I did not see.**

 _ **Jya ne**_ **– see you later; bye**


	19. C2: Tokyo Troubles

Chapter Five: Tokyo Troubles

The night of the World Grand Prix inaugural running finally arrived.

Harley wouldn't admit it out loud, but she felt a mix of nervousness and ecstasy. She had never seen so many racers from around the world. The course itself was certainly unlike any of the circular tracks she saw Lightning race in the past: technical turns, round-the-house racetrack layout, and even sections of dirt track all in one setting. Most of the racers' pit crews had a mix of vehicles and humans, and some of the racers themselves had psyche human racing partners who rode on the cars' roofs, gripping a metal bar while being hooked on with safety straps. As the racers took their positions onto the track, Harley climbed up to her perch on the crew chief platform in the pits like the rest of the crew chiefs. She readjusted her glasses and fastened her headset firmly on her skull.

"Can you hear me, Speed Racer?" Harley called into the mic.

" _Loud and clear, Chief."_ Lightning confirmed.

"Then let's do this." Harley said, smirking.

The starting lights began flashing red before switching to green, and the racers took off!

The crews in the pits kept close watch on their racers, the chiefs calling out to them now and then. Soon, they couldn't even see the racers and had to stare at a TV screen to mark their progress.

"Your suspension sets look good." Sarge noted.

"Tire pressure is excellent!" Luigi added.

"He's got plenty of fuel." Fillmore said.

"And he's awesome." Mater finished.

Lightning smirked. _That's my team._

"All right, Speed Racer, let's show 'em how it's done Radiator Springs' style." Harley said. "Weave your way through nice and easy. Take a chance only when you get it and don't try anything rash."

" _Got it."_ Lightning said, confirming he understood her instructions.

Meanwhile, up in a hotel room next to the track, a trio of spies paid close attention to their supposed comrade in arms.

"Why is he in the pits?" Holley wondered aloud. "He's so exposed."

"It's his cover." Finn reasoned. "One of the best I've seen, too. Look at the detail on that rust. It must have cost him a fortune."

"A rusted tow truck working in the race itself." Emily mused, staring at said tow truck through a small telescope. "Completely unorthodox in my book. But it _is_ a rather brilliant cover if I've ever seen one. Nobody would suspect a thing."

"But why hasn't he contacted us yet?" Holley asked, activating her holographic computer.

"There's probably heat on him." Finn explained. "Be patient."

"Right, of course." Holley nodded. "He'll signal us when he can." _Ugh, I feel like such a fool. Then again, never done much field work before._

Emily scoffed, staring at Holley with a small glare. "Rookie." Holley flinched a bit, obviously hurt.

"Come now, Miss Largo." Finn said, trying to keep the calm amongst them. "Surely you weren't perfect on your first field assignment. Let's all keep our heads. And then we can find out who's behind all this."

Back on the track, Mater and Harley watched the race from the monitors inside the pits. Though Francesco built up an early lead, the racers were coming up on the dirt track.

"McQueen, it's time ta make yer move!" Mater spoke into the headset. "Git on the outside and show 'em what Doc done taught ya."

" _Ten-four, Mater."_ Lightning replied. Harley and Mater watched with twin smiles while Lightning executed a perfect drift, shooting past Francesco as the Formula One struggled on the slippery dirt. Lightning shot around the turns with ease, not losing a bit of speed as he raced down the track. _"Nice call, Mater. Keep it up!"_ Lightning said, sounding proud and thankful.

Harley kept her eyes on the screen as the racers came to the 360-degree loop on the Rainbow Bridge. "That's it, Speed Racer. Start on the outside but stick to the inside. Don't let 'em pass ya. There ya go!" She jogged back to her perch at the front of the pits just as the racers sped past to finish the first lap. "All right, listen up. You've gotten a good view of the track and how it's laid out. Find the groove that works for ya and stick to it. Focus on the track, not the racers, and we'll have this in the bag!"

" _Copy that, Chief!"_ Lightning responded.

Harley smiled proudly. "Atta boy."

* * *

Finn, Holley, and Emily focused fully on the tow truck, waiting for him to signal them, when Holley found something bleeping on her screen. "I think I've got something."

"What is it?" Finn asked.

"It's the Pacer from the party last night." Holley reported, her cameras trained on the green Pacer as he moved through the crowd. "I'm cross-referencing with the photos from the oil derricks. His VIN numbers match."

"Anyone with him?" Finn asked.

"Conducting analysis on the target." Holley reported, her computer scanning the crowd. Her eyes widened a bit. "He's not the only one here."

"How many?" Emily asked, pulling out one of her pistols.

"Three…..five…" Holley blinked in surprise. "They're everywhere. And they're all closing in on…" On their tow truck friend. "Oh no!"

"We've got to get him out of there. What's the plan, Finn?" Emily demanded. No answer came.

"Finn?" Holley asked as the girls turned to the Aston Martin. But he was nowhere in sight and the window was wide open. "Finn, where are you?"

" _Get him out of the pits. Now!"_ Finn ordered over the radio.

"McMissile, you're crazy if you think you're going in there without backup." Emily snapped into her radio mic. "Where are you?"

" _I'll be fine."_ Finn's voice snapped in her earpiece. _"Just keep an eye on him and get him out of there. I'll take care of the rest."_

Emily growled in frustration. "Stupid Brit."

" _I heard that."_

* * *

Harley excused herself sometime during the race to run to the bathroom, setting her headset on her perch. As she washed her hands, she thought back to the oil she slipped in at the party last night. Lightning's checkup before the race came back as a clean bill of health, meaning he couldn't have been the one leaking oil. He was still pretty confident Mater had done it, but Harley knew better. Mater's claim that he never leaked aside, Harley worked on Mater before in an operation that required her to get a feel for his oil. The oil she slipped in was nothing like Mater's. In fact, she tested it herself and discovered it was a type of oil used only in British machines. Except the only British machine up on the stage was Miles Axlerod, and he was an electric car. Harley finally decided the test she did was wrong and left it at that. Maybe Mater really did leak, just not on purpose. The brunette sighed, moving to the door of the bathroom while making a mental note to give Mater a thorough checkup when they got to Italy.

Harley opened the door to the bathroom and gasped in surprise to see a silvery-blue Aston Martin in the garage, holding a fire extinguisher in one of his tires. "Hey! What're you doing in here?"

"Get back, now!" The Aston Martin hissed.

"Oh I don't think so, buddy." Harley said with a glare, placing a hand on the car's back fender. "You're not supposed to be in—" She gasped again when the door to the garage opened, revealing a blue and a green Pacer just outside. The Aston Martin turned his attention to the lemon cars, aiming the fire extinguisher he held towards them.

"Finn McMissile?" the green Pacer gasped. "But you're dead!"

"Then this shouldn't hurt at all." The Aston Martin, apparently Finn McMissile, said right before he shot both of the cars in their windshields with the fire extinguisher. Harley suddenly felt something wrap around her arm and she noticed a sort of grappling hook come from the Aston Martin and grab onto her. She yelped when he suddenly drove off, dragging the girl behind him.

 _Boy am I glad I always wear skates!_ Harley thought as she held onto the line.

"Sorry about this!" Finn called.

"About what?" Harley asked a split-second before the grappling hook line jerked her forward and she tumbled into Finn's open trunk. He slammed it shut again and sped off, ignoring the girl's shouts and pounding.

Once Finn realized the cars weren't chasing him through the alleyways, he paused. "Miss Shiftwell?"

" _I've got him in the back alleys east of the garages."_ Holley informed. _"Multiple assailants are closing in quickly."_

"Keep him moving! I'm on my way." Finn launched his grappling hooks upwards and pulled himself to the rooftops. He opened his trunk and allowed the girl he accidentally kidnapped to tumble out.

"Why you little—" Harley growled.

"Listen to me." Finn said quickly, silencing the girl. "I need you to stay down and stay quiet. Don't go down there until the danger has passed." He spoke so quickly Harley barely had time to react before the Aston Martin shot another grappling hook and line, using it to pass over to the building across the alleyway. Harley watched him move, noticing he was staring intently at something down on the street below. Harley carefully moved to the edge of the building and stared down, blinking in surprise at a familiar face.

"Mater?" Harley breathed, wondering what the tow truck could be doing out of the pits. Then she saw a car sneaking after Mater, and just by looking she could tell he wasn't very friendly. But when the car tried to follow Mater, Finn snagged one of his grappling hooks around a refrigerator outside a flower shop and pulled it down. The resounding crash not only stopped the car, it woke up the Japanese shop owners who began advancing on the poor car. Harley blinked in surprise, impressed despite her confusion. _He's keeping them away from Mater. But why?_

Finn smirked at his handiwork, using his hooks to lower himself down before moving to find the tow truck. But he paused and suddenly reversed at the sight of another Pacer shooting towards him. He couldn't reverse fast enough and the smaller car rammed into him, forcing him back even farther. Harley winced in sympathy, traveling along the rooftop to an intersection where Finn skidded to a halt. Two more cars were already there waiting for him, blocking his escape routes. He swung himself around and clipped one of the cars before two of them slammed into his sides, the third one pushing him from behind. Despite Finn's best efforts to stop himself, the three cars began forcefully shoving him down an alleyway and towards Acer, armed with a powerful flamethrower.

"This time, I'm gonna make sure you _stay_ dead!" Acer growled, firing up the flamethrower.

Harley watched the scene with wide eyes. She didn't have the slightest clue who this Finn McMissile could be, but she still felt concern for his safety. He _did_ seem to be helping Mater. Even if he wasn't, Harley was raised to help others when they're in trouble. But what could she do? She patted herself and her pockets frantically, but only found her hand wrench in her back pocket. _Oh of all the times to not have my paintball gun on me._ She glanced down at the cars below, the flames getting closer and closer to Finn. If she didn't move now, he could die.

"Oh I must be out of my mind." Harley groaned. But, gathering her courage, she suddenly launched herself over the edge of the building and began falling down towards the cars. She gave a mighty shout of effort as she landed on a yellow Pacer to Finn's left, bending her legs to reduce the shock of the impact and smacking her wrench against the smaller car's hood. The Pacer shouted in pain, loosening his grip on Finn and allowing the Aston Martin to suddenly jump up and land on the cars that once held him. The car that used to be behind him shot forward by mistake, unable to brake in time before he crashed into Acer and the flamethrower. In the resulting explosion, both cars were thrown high into the air and crashed in another alleyway. Finn and Harley jumped off the remaining two cars, Finn taking a strong stance and preparing to fight while Harley spun a bit before stopping. She held her wrench ready, glaring hard at the two cars.

Finn activated the magnets on one of his tires, grabbing the Pacer and throwing him across the alley and into an elevator. Drawing his gun, Finn shot the cables powering the elevator and sent the metal platform shooting up, crushing the Pacer between the elevator floor and the ceiling. Finn spun around as the second car shot towards him, but he jumped up to avoid the car and ricocheted off the wall. Harley, still in the smaller car's path, threw her wrench like a discus, causing the tool to bounce off the car's windshield and fly up into the air. The car swerved, allowing Harley to maneuver out of his way and hook one of her feet under the car's front axle. She lifted her foot, the momentum and her strength from the adrenaline forcing the small car to end up in the air for a moment. That one moment was all Harley needed to jump, spin around, and land a powerful kick to the car's undercarriage. She landed perfectly on her skates, catching her wrench as it fell back to her hand. The car slammed into the wall, and Finn shot the cables of the elevator again to make it fall back down on top of his final attacker.

Once the danger finally passed, Harley allowed herself to relax out of her battle stance. She felt her muscles shake a little and her knees were sore, but ignored it for now; her psyche human healing abilities would take care of it soon enough. Finn was panting beside her, winding down from the adrenaline rush. Harley stared at the Aston Martin, recognizing those aqua eyes and realizing he was the same car from the party last night. She eyed the gun at his side suspiciously as he put it away.

"Kin I git yer autograph?"

Harley and Finn jumped a bit, spinning around to see Mater just at the entrance of the alley. "Mater." Harley sighed in relief, thankful her friend was unharmed.

"Hey Harley! That was awesome!" Mater said excitedly. Cars began streaming from the buildings around them, a large group investigating the elevator and two damaged cars. Harley smiled softly at Mater's compliment, but when she turned to ask Finn if he was okay she blinked in surprise. The silvery-blue Aston Martin had disappeared. Harley looked around, but couldn't find the car anywhere in the crowd. Her thoughts ran a mile a minute, unable to fully process what the heck just happened seeing how it all went by so fast. Did she really just do that? In all seriousness, did that really just happen? No denying it; her knees were still a bit sore and her heart still pounded. All of that really did just happen. Harley helped a mysterious car beat up his attackers. She began to skate forward, only for her skates to hit something on the ground and force her to stop. The brunette teen looked down and knelt to the ground, lifting up a bullet casing from the asphalt that clearly came from the gun Finn was using. Harley stared at the bullet casing, twisting it around in her fingers a bit, when she noticed a silvery-blue blur in the reflection of the casing. Her crystal blue eyes traveled upwards to the roof of the building nearby, locking them onto the aqua eyes of Finn. He stared down at her for a moment before disappearing over the edge of the roof. Harley narrowed her eyes, suspicion returning as she pocketed the bullet casing.

"Come on, Harley!" Mater called. "Let's git back ta the race!"

Harley cast one last look at the spot where Finn rested before following Mater out of the alleyways and back towards the pits.

* * *

Both Mater and Harley were surprised to find the pits empty and the track mostly dark. "Ah man. Don't tell me we missed the race." Harley groaned.

"Well that can't be right." Mater murmured.

"Mater!"

The tow truck and human teen turned to see a familiar red stock car. "Hey, McQueen!" Mater greeted warmly. "What happened? Is the race over? You won, right?"

"Mater, why were you yelling things at me while I was racing?" Lightning demanded.

"You were yelling at him?" Harley asked Mater.

"You didn't see or hear it?" Lightning asked the girl.

"I ran into some trouble." Harley said simply. "Couldn't get to my headset." _No way am I telling him what happened._

"Yellin'?" Mater repeated. "Oh, you thought…..that's funny right dere. No, see that's 'cause I seen these two fellers doin' some sort of karate street performance. It was nutso. One of 'em even had a flamethrower….."

"A flamethrower?" Lightning repeated, confused. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. Where were you?"

"Goin' ta meet my date." Mater replied simply.

"Your date?" Lightning asked.

"Uh, Mater…." Harley tried to warn the tow truck. She knew after what she just witnessed, Mater's story was _not_ going to sound very convincing. Unfortunately, the tow truck didn't catch on.

"She started talkin' to me as a voice in my head, tellin' me where to go." Mater said casually.

"What?" Harley asked. Even to her, that sounded absolutely bonkers.

"Harley, where were _you_ during all this?" Lightning demanded.

"Some guy was in the pits and I had to get him out." Harley finally admitted. "I ended up getting dragged down the street a ways before I could find my way back."

"Well, are you okay?" Lightning asked, sounding worried now.

"I'm fine. Freaked out and irritated, but fine." Harley assured. "But Mater, what are you talking about?"

"My date was talkin' ta me in mah head." Mater shrugged. "I ended up missin' the date but I think she's still up for it."

"What?!" Lightning and Harley asked at once, sounding completely baffled.

Mater blinked. "Wait a minute. I didn't screw ya up, did I?"

Lightning glared. "I lost the race because of you!"

Mater's cheerful expression dropped. "Oh…..I'm sorry…I didn't mean to."

"Imaginary girlfriend? Flamethrowers?" Lightning scoffed, stammering a bit. "This is exactly why I don't bring you along to these things."

"Hey, take it easy." Harley said, trying to keep Lightning calm but failing.

"Maybe if I….I don't know…talk to somebody and explained what happened, I could help." Mater offered.

"I don't need your help!" Lightning snapped. "I don't _want_ your help."

Mater stared at Lightning, crushing hurt written all over his expression. Harley glared at the stock car. "Lightning." But the racer drove around past Mater and out to the track. "Hey! McQueen!" Harley snapped, only for the stock car to ignore her. She and Mater peered out to see a group of reporters gather around Lightning, asking about what happened during the race.

"I made a mistake." Lightning told the reporters. "But I can assure you, it won't happen again." More chatter from the reporters. "Look, guys, we know what the problem is and we've taken care of it."

Harley glared at Lightning for a moment before looking to Mater. But the tow truck was already heading out the door by the time she caught sight of him. Harley sighed heavily, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She blinked in surprise when she felt the bullet casing, and she wrapped her fingers around it.

 _I_ will _get to the bottom of this._ Harley promised herself as she skated off.

* * *

Finn returned to Holley and Emily still plenty sore, but he dismissed it as another day on the job. What he wasn't prepared for was Emily stomping up to him and smacking his fender.

"Of all the boneheaded moves you had to pull, you had to pull that one!" Emily shouted.

"Do keep your voice down, Miss Largo." Finn requested kindly, rolling off to find Holley.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Emily snapped. "Do you realize you could've gotten killed out there? The only reason I didn't come running after you is because I wasn't willing to go on a wild goose chase trying to find you."

Finn paused, spinning around to glare at Emily. "Oh, but you _will_ risk getting caught for the sake of ensuring my escape off that oil platform."

"Maybe I shouldn't have." Emily growled. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with such a selfish car like yourself."

Finn gaped a bit. "Selfish?"

"Yes, selfish!" Emily snapped. "Did you even consider what Holley and I thought about you running off like that, or what we were supposed to do if you got killed?"

"Since when did _you_ care?" Finn demanded. "You don't exactly seem like the 'team player' type."

"I know more about working with teams than you do." Emily huffed, crossing her arms. "Which is why I know for a fact that teamwork is overrated."

"Oh really?" Finn scoffed. "Just what would you know about that?"

Emily tensed, and suddenly Finn got the feeling he touched a sore subject. The blonde spy stared at the ground, a mix of anger and sorrow in her features. "I'm an assassin, all right?" Emily sighed. "I don't usually work with others. But the reason I'm like that is because of what I learned about teamwork."

Finn stared at her for a moment. " _How_ did you learn?"

Emily stared off into space. "I used to work in a team. Five of us there were. Best of the best. One day, we went into a mission and…I was the only one to escape alive." She sighed. "But that's just another day's work for a spy, isn't it? We do what we have to, even if some of us get killed. _That's_ why teamwork is overrated; it's pointless to make friends and grow attached to people when you flirt with danger every day."

"I wouldn't say that." Finn said. "Friendships can be dangerous, but I feel that's why all my friends are agents themselves; they understand the danger."

Emily huffed. "How could you possibly understand friendship?"

Finn looked down, then began to drive off. He paused. "Why do you think Leland asked you to get me off that rig alive?"

Emily opened her mouth to answer, but she realized what she was about to say answered her first question. She stared at Finn, who stared back with a very neutral expression before he drove off to his room. Emily stared after him, sighing softly.

 _You are something else, McMissile._


	20. C2: Family First

Chapter Six: Family First

Mater stared sadly at the poster for the World Grand Prix, depicting Lightning McQueen and his team. Harley readjusted her backpack on one shoulder and patted the tow truck's side. But Mater refused to look at her as he drove off towards the terminals, the girl holding onto one of his mirrors to pull her along. She glanced sadly down to where the flame-shaped, 95 sticker used to rest on Mater's side, now gone and the stickers back at the hotel. Harley had stuffed her crew chief T-shirt into her backpack and adopted her usual yellow shirt with the 51 on the front. She zipped up her jacket, rubbing one of the racing stickers on the sleeves.

"You know, you don't _have_ to leave, Mater." Harley said as they traveled through the airport.

"I ain't gonna screw 'im up again." Mater said determinedly, sadness still in his tone of voice. "I never shoulda come in the first place." He looked to Harley hopefully. "You believe me, right Harley? I mean, you were there."

Harley sighed. "Mater, I don't know what you were goin' through or what the heck you were talkin' about with a 'voice in your head,' but I _know_ something strange went on last night and that _wasn't_ your fault. Come on, let's go back. Lightning needs us."

"He don't need me." Mater assured. "He said so himself. But he needs you. Yer the chief."

"Hey, chief or not I did what I could to teach Lightning that family comes first." Harley said firmly. "It comes before my job, my safety, before _everything_. And there is no way I'm going to abandon my family." She smiled and nudged Mater playfully. "Especially not the bestest big brother in the whole wide world."

Mater smiled a bit now, yet he didn't pause in his driving. Harley smiled back. As much as she wanted to stay with Lightning and continue with the races, it bothered her greatly to think about leaving Mater all alone after what happened. Not only did she not want to leave him alone in his misery, she felt quite concerned for his safety since the incident last night in the alleyways.

 _It is_ not _his fault._ Harley determined. _It was the fault of that Finn McMissile guy._ She reached into her jacket pocket and wrapped her fingers around the bullet casing. Her thoughts traveled back to the conversation she had with Sarge about the bullet. He seemed to buy her story that she bought it in a souvenir shop in Tokyo, and then surprised her with what he told her about it.

"Oh yeah, that's some high-grade stuff, soldier." Sarge had said. "Often used on the military level. Even _I_ didn't have a gun like that."

 _An Aston Martin who knows karate, owns a military-level gun, and apparently has a target on his hood. Not only that, he was more than willing to protect Mater and myself from those cars._ Harley sighed softly, her eyebrows knitted together in thought. _What in Chrysler's name is going on here?_

As Mater and Harley approached the security gates, Harley jumped into the back of Mater's flatbed and unzipped her backpack. "Hang on a sec, Mater. I gotta find our tickets." She rummaged through her backpack, digging under her clothes. To her surprise, she found her wrench and handheld paintball gun in the bag. _Ah, shoot. That's gonna set off the security system real bad. I knew I should've checked this thing before I grabbed it this morning._

A police car rolled up beside Mater. "Come with me, please, sir."

"But I'm 'onna miss my plane." Mater protested as he followed the police car.

"Oh great." Harley rolled her eyes, setting her backpack aside and jumping out to roll beside Mater. "Now what?" The police car led the two of them to a lounge-like area further into the airport.

"Ah doggone it." Mater groaned. "This is about my hook, ain't it?"

Harley could see they were heading towards a pretty secluded and quiet area. It seemed like a good place to be confronted and possibly threatened. She saw enough cop shows to get a feeling she was in one right now. A small thought in her head told her to run out of there as fast as possible, but a stronger feeling in her heart told her to stay. As they entered the lounge area, away from most of the patrons at a nearby bar, the police car's form flickered and changed to reveal a familiar Aston Martin.

"You again?!" Harley snapped.

"Hey!" Mater realized. "Yer that feller from the karate demonstration."

Harley reached into her bag and grabbed her wrench, quickly skating to stand between Mater and the Aston Martin. "You better back off, buddy. Because if you don't, you ain't gonna like where I stick this thing."

Finn chuckled. "Easy there, miss. I do apologize for our rather rough introduction last night. I was only looking out for your safety."

Harley narrowed her eyes. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"At ease, soldier." A blonde woman said with an amused smile, rising from the couch nearby to stand beside Finn. "We mean you no harm." Harley cast her a strange look, given her outfit gave the blonde woman a Laura Croft air about her.

"Besides, you _did_ help me back in those alleyways." Finn noted. "Why do such a thing if you don't trust me?"

 _Because my dad taught me 'never pass on an opportunity to help others.'_ That's what she wanted to say, but Harley didn't exactly feel like explaining one of her father's life lessons at the moment; and she couldn't exactly argue with that fact. So she put her wrench away with a mildly suspicious expression. "Fine. But I'm watching you."

"Fine with us." The blonde woman shrugged, smirking.

"Allow me to introduce myself." Finn said. "Finn McMissile. British Intelligence."

"Tow Mater." Mater greeted. "Average intelligence."

"I'm Emily Largo. Special Unit." The blonde woman introduced.

"Harley Hudson." Harley gave a crisp nod and a smirk. "Like the bike, but much cuter."

Emily smirked. "Pleasure."

"Who are you two with?" Finn asked with a smirk. "FBI? CIA?"

 _Huh?_ Harley did her best to hide her surprise.

"Let's just say I'm triple-A affiliated." Mater replied.

Finn looked nothing short of amused, but a beeping on his mirror caught his attention. "You're being followed."

"What?" Harley looked back, searching for any cars she might've seen while in the airport. Mater didn't seem to hear, demonstrating a karate move he made up where he could reach into a car's hood, pull out his battery, and show it to him before he stalls; aka, what Mater accidentally did to Luigi once. Boy did Doc have a field day when he found out. Meanwhile, Harley watched in amazement as Finn launched some sort of device from one of his mirrors and stuck it to the nearby window. A sort of antennae shot out, beginning to carve a good-sized hole in the glass.

"McMissile, they're coming." Emily warned.

Harley looked down the hall to see two cars coming straight towards them, eyes set on Mater. They looked like a Gremlin and a Pace, just like the cars that attacked her and Finn last night. "Uh, Mater?"

"I probably ought to go. I'm about to miss my flight." Mater turned and started to drive off.

"Don't worry. I've taken care of that." Finn assured, throwing one of his back grappling hooks and latching it to Mater's tow hook. Emily grabbed Harley and pulled the girl into Mater's flatbed just as Finn suddenly jumped out the window. Harley gasped, hugging Mater's tow cable, and grunted a bit when they hit the ground. Finn sped off, dragging Mater behind him.

"What in the blue blazes?" Harley snapped, shocked.

"Yer karate partners is back here! It kinda look like they tryin' ta catch up!" Mater called to Finn.

"Drive forward!" Finn ordered. "Whatever you do, don't stop!" He suddenly braked, forcing him and Mater to do a 180 and cause Mater to drag him. Harley flinched as they drove straight under a jet taxiing into the airport. She looked to Finn and then to the rusted red Gremlin coming right behind them. To her shock, the Gremlin suddenly pulled a good-size missile launcher from his undercarriage. Finn let loose a small, skateboard-like object that rolled to skate just under Grem. A small scissor-lift mechanism activated, forcing Grem on two wheels. He struggled to regain his balance, only to tumble over to his roof right after launching the missile. Finn took aim and shot one of his own, smaller missiles, the two explosives colliding and erupting into fire and smoke.

"Is everything okay back there?" Mater asked as he kept driving.

"Just fine!" Harley called hurriedly. "Keep driving!" As amazing as all this was, she'd rather watch it all as a movie while bundled up at home. To actually experience a car chase like this turned out to be quite terrifying.

Mater nodded to Harley's request, but noticed Acer was driving right into his path and dragging a long line of carts behind him. "You 'member that whole thing about me not stoppin' no matter what?"

Harley stood up to look over Mater's roof and paled at the sight. _Oh great. What next?_ She jumped at the sound of guns firing, and suddenly the carts exploded to give Mater and Finn a clear shot right through. "Holy Chrysler!" She gasped, staring in shock at the jet plane flying over quite close to them.

"Thanks, old boy!" Finn called to the jet. The jet landed in front of Mater, driving down the tarmac and lowering his ramp.

"Hey, doggonit!" Mater exclaimed happily as he caught sight of a purple Jaguar resting just inside the jet. "Look, it's my imaginary girlfriend!"

"Come on! Get in here!" Holley shouted.

"Boy, I tell you what, you really do want this first date, don't ya?" Mater asked, oblivious to Holley's dumbfounded reaction.

"Mater, get on the jet!" Harley shouted, gasping a bit when bullets pierced the ground dangerously close to Mater. The gunfire missed Mater, Finn, Harley, and Emily, but several of the bullets pierced the jet's wheels and forced him to make a turn into the grass and onto another section of tarmac.

"Hold on, Sid!" Finn called.

"Mater, follow that jet!" Emily urged.

Harley jumped a bit as more gunfire rang out, and she stared worriedly at the green Pacer still close behind them. The car continued to shoot at them, and Harley ducked down as a couple bullets whizzed past her head. She glanced down to her backpack and got an idea. Rummaging through it quickly, she took a hold of her paintball gun and shook it to make sure it was still loaded. Harley moved to the edge of Mater's flatbed, taking aim at Acer and biting her tongue in concentration. She fired a few times, paintballs exploding across Acer's windshield and blinding him. Finn unloaded his own gun and shot several rounds, popping Acer's front tire and forcing him to careen off to one side, screaming all the way.

"Nice shot, Harley!" Emily complimented.

Finn took a sharp turn, jerking Mater behind him and dragging his allies aboard the jet. Mater ended up hanging off the edge of the ramp as Siddeley lifted up and took off into the sky. Finn was quick to reel the tow truck in, Siddeley closing the ramp and disappearing into the clouds. The Aston Martin sighed in relief, pulling in his grappling hook.

Emily gave a little whoop as she jumped out of Mater. "Well what do you know? That was actually fun! I'm certainly never getting on an airplane the same way again."

Mater turned to the two cars and human. "Yeah, that was cool! Hey, where's Harley?"

At the sound of someone whimpering a bit, Mater turned around again to reveal Harley still in his flatbed. She was shaking like a rattlesnake's tail, her eyes wide and twitching a bit as she gripped Mater's tow for dear life.

"Whoa. You okay?" Emily asked worriedly.

"Miss Hudson?" Finn asked, casting a concerned glance.

Harley finally locked eyes with Finn, and she glared hard. "You…..you…." She scrambled out of Mater, skating up very close into Finn's personal space and practically fuming with anger. "You little punk! _Che cosa era_ _che_ _tutto questo?_ _È_ _maledettamente_ _macchinario_ _avvolto attorno ad un_ _cervello pieno_ _di aria!_ _Quando ho_ _finito con te_ _un_ _sfasciacarrozze_ _sarà simile a_ _una vacanza!_ " Harley panted a bit, still glaring wildly.

Finn blinked a few times, but chuckled. _"Le mie scuse_ _,_ _signorina_ _._ _Troverò_ _un modo per_ _ripagarla_ _."_ Mater and Holley tried and failed to suppress their laughter. Even Emily cracked a smile at Finn's reaction to Harley's outburst.

Harley sighed heavily. _This is gonna be a_ long _day._

* * *

"'By the time you read this, I will be safely on an airplane flying home. I'm so sorry for what I did. I don't want to be the cause of you losing any more races. I want you to go prove to the world what I already know: that you are the greatest racecar in the whole wide world. Your best friend, Mater.'" Lightning finished the letter. Sarge and Fillmore stared at the letter sadly, unable to fully believe Mater would go after seeming to enjoy himself so much. Poor Luigi and Guido were sobbing. Pure-hearted as Mater was, he probably would've continued to beat himself up about the mistake for the rest of the trip if he didn't go home.

Lightning sighed. "Man. Well, wait a minute, where's Harley? There's no way she would've just let him go."

Sarge and Fillmore exchanged worried glances before Fillmore pushed another piece of paper forward. "She left this, man. We haven't seen her all morning."

Lightning took a look. It was clearly from Harley, based on the "HH" she left at the bottom of the note, which only read three words: "Family comes first." Those three simple words hit harder than any racecar crash. Lightning frowned sadly. "Well, at least I know if Mater's at home, he'll be safe. And the second we get home, I'll apologize. To Mater, and especially to Harley."

* * *

 **A/N: Italian translations (again, got this all off Google Translate, so don't hate me for not getting it all right):**

 _Che cosa era_ _che_ _tutto questo?_ _È_ _maledettamente_ _macchinario_ _avvolto attorno ad un_ _cervello pieno_ _di aria!_ _Quando ho_ _finito con te_ _un_ _sfasciacarrozze_ _sarà simile a_ _una vacanza!_ – What was that all about? You damned piece of machinery wrapped around a brain full of air! When I'm through with you a chop shop will look like a vacation!

 _Le mie scuse_ _,_ _signorina_ _._ _Troverò_ _un modo per_ _ripagarla_ _._ – My apologies, Miss. I will find some way to repay you.


	21. C2: Small Town Girl in a Spy World

Chapter Seven: Small Town Girl in a Spy World

"Well that was a lovely start to the day." Finn said as everyone relaxed in the main room inside Siddeley. "You never feel more alive than when you're almost dead."

"Oh yeah, sure." Harley bobbed her head, rolling her eyes. "A nice hearty breakfast followed by watching my life flash before my eyes." She had calmed down considerably since taking off from Tokyo, but she still cast irritated glares at Finn now and then.

Holley clearly didn't think so either. "I hope that device didn't fall off." She pressed a button on her chair, spinning Mater's chair around and lowering the back to see a small metal device implanted just above his tailpipe.

Mater chuckled. "That was—oh!" He yelepd at a sharp pain in his undercarriage, where Holley pulled the device off. Harley winced in sympathy.

"Still in one piece. Great." Holley nodded in satisfaction, moving her chair back to the large computer system in the room and inserting the device. "Downloading the photo now."

"Let me introduce you guys." Mater said with a wide smile. "This here is Finn McSomethin' or other and that's Emily Lardo somethin'. And Finn, this here is my date." Mater paused. "I never did git yer name."

"Oh yes, sorry." Holley nodded. "It's Shiftwell. Holley Shiftwell." Finn grinned, managing to hold back his laughter. Emily rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a small smile. Harley stared at the two cars and human before her. _Something tells me they're all pretty well-acquainted._

A strange device poppd out from the ceiling, sliding over and creating a holographic screen across the room, Mater and Harley on one side and Finn, Holley, and Emily on the other. The shades lowered over the windows, with only the screen casting a soft green glow around the room.

"Finally." Finn sighed. "Time to see who's behind all this." But when the picture popped up, the three spies in the room were surprised to see not a full picture of a car but rather a photo of an open hood and car engine, surrounded by spare parts.

"What is this?" Holley finally asked.

"Well, that's one of the worst engines ever made." Mater said, turning his front half to one side to better look at the picture. Finn and Holley did the same and Harley and Emily tilted their heads to one side. Holley used her mouspad on her chair to turn the photo around for everone to look at better.

Harley wrinkled her nose. "Yeesh. Talk about a bad engine."

"Why? What kind of engine is it?" Emily asked, confused.

"It's an old aluminum V8 with a Lucas electrical system and Whitworth bolts." Mater explained. "Shoot, them Whitworth bolts is a pain."

"But whose engine is this, Mater?" Holley asked.

"Kinda hard to tell, ain't it?" Mater pointed out.

"But you're the one who took it." Holley countered.

"Holley." Finn scolded gently.

"Oh, right! Yes, of course." Holley nodded in understanding. "A good agent gets what he can, then gets out before he's killed. Sorry."

"Killed?" Harley blinked.

"Agent? You mean, like insurance agent?" Mater asked.

"Insurance agents don't have to worry about getting killed, Mater." Harley pointed out.

"I would argue otherwise." Emily joked wryly.

Mater's face lit up. "Wait! You mean secret agents! You guys is spies!"

Harley blinked in surprise. "Spies? Like, James Bond?"

"Yes." Finn nodded with a smirk. "Like James Bond, only much cooler."

Harley cracked a smile. _All right, he gets points for having a sense of humor._ "Well that certainly explains a lot. Like this." She reached into her pocket and revealed the bullet casing from Finn's gun. "Found it after the fight in Tokyo."

"And you kept it?" Holley asked incredulously.

"Well, if you're aiming for intersting souvenirs." Finn said, a grin still on his face.

"I can keep it?" Harley asked, a bit surprised.

"I have no personal attachments to it." Finn shrugged.

"Cool. Thanks." Harley said, stuffing the bullet back into her pocket.

Finn went serious again, looking to the photo. "Holley, in how many makes and models did this type of engine appear?"

Holley did a quick search. "It was standard in seven models over a twelve-year period. At least thirty-five thousand cars were made with this engine."

"Very helpful." Emily muttered sarcastically.

Mater found the controls to his chair and moved forward to push through the screen and smile at Holley. "You're purty."

"Just pay attention!" Holley urged, pulling the screen forward to block off Mater. She ended up having to move the picture of the engine all over the screen to block Mater's sight before enlarging the photo to block him off completely.

"I thought the point of getting this photo was to get answers, not more questions." Emily noted sourly.

"Miss Largo's attitude aside, I'm afraid she's right." Finn murmured. "If only there was something in the photo that could narrow this down a bit."

"Well, whoever this feller is, i bet he's heappy." Mater managed to get around the photo to look to Finn. "See all them boxes over there? Them's all original parts. They ain't easy to come by."

"Rare parts?" Holley clarified.

"That's something we can track." Finn realized. "Just how rare are these parts?"

"Well, let's see." Harley skated up to the picture and stared at the boxes of spare parts around the engine. "You've got your oil filters, your wheel bearings, all British made. Whoa, this guy must be well-connected. You don't find parts like these in a general store; you have to know a guy."

"Then it's right up our alley." Emily nodded, impressed. The screen and the picture disappeared and the shades rolled up to let the sunlight in.

Finn looked to Harley and Mater. "Well done, you two. I know of a black market parts dealer in Paris. He may be the only one in the world who can tell us whose engine this is. Mater, Harley, what would you say to setting up an informal task force on this one?"

"Wait. What?" Mater asked.

"You obviously have plenty of experience in the field." Finn reasoned. "And Harley, we could use your brain and brawn for this. I'd hate to be the sorry bloke at the other end of that wrench of yours."

Harley giggled. "Yeah, I guess."

Mater's face fell. "I don't know, Finn. I ain't exactly been much help to anybody recently."

"You're helping me." Finn assured. "Please, Mater."

Harley nudged Mater with her elbow. "It'll be a lot more fun than goin' home early. We'll still get to travel the world like we planned."

"Well...okay." Mater finally agreed, feeling a lot happier now that he was actually doing something good for someone else. Plus, Harley had been ecstatic about traveling the world for the race. Who was he to deny her the chance to continue her travels? Mater looked to Finn. "But you know I'm just a tow truck, right?"

"Right. And I'm just in the import-export business." Finn said with a wink, rolling his chair back to the computers. "Siddeley?"

" _Yes, Finn?"_ Siddeley asked.

"Paris." Finn said. _"Tout de suite."_

"Yeah, two of them sweets for me too, Sid." Mater said before looking to Holley. "You know, I always wanted to be a spy."

"Really?" Holley asked with a smile. "Me too."

" _Afterburners, sir?"_ Siddeley asked with a smile.

"Is there any other way?" Finn replied, smirking.

"Afterburners?" Harley asked, confused. She yelped a bit when Siddeley suddenly shot off, almost jerking her to the ground.

* * *

Arriving in Paris, Finn led the way as the quintet maneuvered through the city. Harley was amazed to discover Emily's boots converted to a pair of rollerblades, allowing her to better keep up with the vehicles of the group as Finn kept a brisk pace. Mater often fell behind and became forced to hurry to catch up with them. Harley didn't blame him; Paris was truly amazing. The brunette teen ended up hanging onto Finn with one hand so she could keep up with him and taking pictures with her camera with the other hand. Harley decided to stow her jacket away in her backpack, not wanting to be recognized right off the bat by anyone. Finn had caught Harley up to speed about the camera, and Harley immediately became worried when she heard it was a World Grand Prix camera. Her thoughts traveled to Lightning, vaguely remembering him talking about how three cars flamed out in the first race.

 _Please stay safe._ Harley prayed.

Finn finally led everyone to a somewhat shadier part of the city, traveling down some back alleyways while giving instructions. Emily deactivated the wheels in her boots to walk alonside Holley.

"Once we're inside, stay close." Finn instructed. "No VIN scans. They're all dodgy around here."

"No VIN scans, got it." Holley nodded.

"Mater, you especially stay close." Harley told the tow truck as he "stealthily" followed them. "It's going to be far too easy for you to get lost in here."

"Miss Largo, Miss Hudson, I want you two either beside me or Miss Shiftwell." Finn told the human females. "I wouldn't call this place exceptionally dangerous, but I also wouldn't put it past anyone here to try and make a grab at a pretty girl."

"Aw, I'm flattered." Emily joked.

Harley scoffed. "I'd like to see someone try and grab me. I'll put my skates in his face."

"That's the ticket." Finn nodded. "Now, don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone, and absolutely, positively no idling. Are we clear?"

"Yes, right. No idling. Yes sir." Holley nodded.

Finn turned around. "Mater?"

"Yeah Finn?" Mater asked from behind a garbage bin.

"We're not here to go shopping." Finn said as they rounded the corner into the black market.

"Shoppin'?" Mater asked. "What do you mean? Why woul I...?" He paused when he saw the market. "Dad gum!" He hurriedly drove after his friends, but couldn't help staring at everything around him. Various shop owners, with their merchandise laid out on blankets and towels, shouted their wares. Driving into the building nearby, even more vendors sat crammed together with their merchandise strewn about their areas. It was dark, a little dirty, and practically screamed "shady," but Harley had to call for Mater a couple times to make sure he was keeping up. Emily stayed back with the tow truck, making sure he stayed focused. While she still seemed irritated by Mater's child-like behavior, Emily had to admit she rather liked Mater. He reminded her of one of her old teammates.

Harley looked around at everything and suddenly felt a small sense of foreboding. She didn't like the looks of everything around her. Every human man they passed, young and some much older, smirked at her wickedly and began wolf-whistling. Even several of the cars they passed honked their horns. Harley's hand moved to her wrench in her pocket, feeling an almost overwhelming urge to throw it at one of the men whistling at her. She moved closer to Finn, her hand pressing against the corner where his windshield met his hood. Finn blinked in surprise, but smiled kindly when he noticed how tense Harley seemed.

"It's all right, Miss Hudson." Finn said quietly. "Nobody's going to try and grab you."

"If it's all the same to you, Finn, I think I'll just stick by your side." Harley said, pressing herself a little closer to the Aston Martin.

"Very well." Finn nodded, still smiling warmly. _Poor girl. This must be her first field assignment like Holley. She looks so young; I'll bet she's fresh out of the academy._ Finn rounded the corner, but froze and suddenly reversed again. He parked himself just around the corner, Holley and Harley staring worriedly. Finn angled his mirror to see a small, dark blue Reliant Regal three-wheeler. "There you are." Finn murmured.

"We find him?" Harley whispered, moving up a little to try and peer around the corner.

"Harley, you gotta see some of the stuff I found!" Mater said rather loudly as he came up.

"Mater, get back!" Finn hissed. Mater quickly obeyed, but not fast enough it would seem. Finn heard the squealing of tires, and he shot out from around the corner to give a chase. Harley's fingers involuntarily curled around Finn's mirror, forcing him to pull her along. Emily quickly activated her rollerblades, small rockets propelling her along as she, Holley, and Mater followed Finn. Harley managed to kick a crate away just before it could fall on top of Finn, training her eyes on the car they chased. She kept her knees bent and her balance steady, not loosening her grip on Finn's mirror for one second. Their target rammed into a pole, causing a pile of debris to fall right in their path, but Finn and Harley shot off a sheet of metal like a ramp, flying over the blockage and continuing after the three-wheeled car. Holley, Emily, and Mater took a sharp left turn to go around the debris. Finn sped up, Harley tigthening her grip on his mirror and glaring ahead at their target.

Suddenly, Holley and Emily appeared in the blue car's path. Emily whipped out a grenade-like item and threw it, the device exploding in a puff of smoke and ensnaring the three-wheeled car in a net. The car tried to turn but ended up taking a tumble and flying right over Holley and Emily before crashing into someone's tire stall. Emily whipped out one of her pistols and took aim. Holley rolled over and pulled a taser from her hubcap, shooting the three-wheeled car with it until Finn suddenly shot past and jerked the lines off.

"Have you lost your mind?" Finn growled. "The both of you!" The two female spies stared at him in surprise. "Mater!" Finn called to the tow truck as Harley untangled the three-wheeled car from the netting. "This chap needs a tow. Hook him up."

"Well sure thing!" Mater nodded, hooking his tow cable under the dark blue car's bumper once Harley cleared the netting away. Everyone followed Finn deeper into the marketplace, ignoring the three-wheeled car's indignant shouts.

Finn found a garage nearby and rolled inside, snapping in French at the car already in the garage. The car took off, allowing the spies, Harley, and Mater to enter. Mater waited until Finn shut the door to the garage to give them privacy before letting the three-wheeled car down.

The dark blue vehicle shouted a bit in French and then spun around to Finn. "Electroshock?! Nets?! Are you kidding me?"

"Easy, Tomber." Finn said calmly. "This is Shiftwell's first field assignment and Largo's part of a difference agency. They didn't know you were my informant."

"Informant?" Holley repeated.

"You must be joking." Emily scoffed.

"A rookie, huh?" Tomber turned to sneer at Holley. "I never liked new car smell."

Holley was silent, casting a glare, while Emily crossed her arms. "Better than what _you_ smell like."

Tomber grunted in disgust. "Never was very fond of dumb blondes either."

"Why you little—" Emily growled, her hand going to her pistol.

"Hey, take it easy." Harley barked. "You made a mistake, we're past that, let's move on." Her firm tone made Holley and Emily blink in surprise, almost impressed by the authoritative air Harley's voice carried. But they obeyed.

"Tomber was doing twenty to life in a Moroccan impound the first time I saved him." Finn explained, smiling at the memory. "If I recall correctly."

Tomber smirked. "Speaking of recalls, you're getting up there in mileage, aren't you Finn?"

Holley rolled her eyes. "All right, we get it. You both know each other, you're both old." She activated her holographic computer, pulling up the picture. "So, here you go, informant. Inform us."

Tomber too a look of the photograph. "Beuck! That is the worst motor ever made."

"We know." Harley nodded.

Tomber looked to the rest of the picture and his eyes widened. "Wait. That oil filter. Those wheel bearings."

"I assume those parts look familiar?" Finn asked.

"They should." Tomber nodded. "I sold them."

"To whom?" Holley asked.

"No idea." Tomber admitted. "He's my best customer, but he always does his business over the phone. I was always wondering why he needs so many parts."

"Well, a lemon needs parts." Mater noted, to which Tomber nodded in agreement.

"And what lemon in their right mind would do this kind of business in person?" Harley added. "Especially one who needs so many parts."

"Lemon?" Finn asked, confused.

"Like the fruit?" Emily clarified.

"Not in this case." Harley corrected.

"Those are cars that don't ever work right." Mater explained. "Like 'em Gremlins and Pacers we run into at the party and the race and the airport."

Something suddenly clicked in Finn's head. "Holley, pull up the pictures from the oil platform." He ordered. "What other types of cars were out there?"

Holley obeyed, scanning the pictures Finn's camera took. "Um, there were Hugos and Trunkovs."

"Mater, Harley, are these cars considered lemons?" Finn asked.

"Is the Popemobile Catholic?" Mater asked, confirming it.

"A bunch of cars that don't work right? All in one place?" Emily murmured.

Holley blinked in realization. "Finn, everyone involved in this plot is one of history's biggest loser cars."

"And they're all taking their oders from the car behind this engine." Finn realized, looking to the picture of the engine.

"I'd be willing to bet he's the one with the worst engine out of all of them." Emily mused.

"Ah, of course!" Tomber said suddenly.

"What, Tomber?" Finn asked.

"Gremlin, Pacer, Hugo, and Trunkov never get together, but they are having a secret meeting in two days." Tomber explained. "They're meeting in Porto Corsa, Italy."

"That's where the next race is!" Mater realized.

"Then there's a good chance our mystery engine will be there, too." Finn guessed.

"I can almost guarantee it." Tomber confirmed. "I just sent him a new clutch assembly yesterday. To Porto Corsa."

"Holley, contact Stephenson and have him meet us at Gare de Lyon." Finn ordered with a grin. "Good work." He told Tomber.

"We're finally getting somewhere." Harley nodded in satisfaction.


	22. C2: Filling Hearts' Holes

**A/N: So I realized there are some typos in the last chapter and maybe others I missed. Hopefully this one's better. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Filling Hearts' Holes

Everyone slept peacefully on the way to Porto Corsa. Well, mostly everyone. Harley found sleep evaded her, and she couldn't figure out why. The bed was comfortable and warm, and the movement of the train didn't bother her. Yet nothing could make her sleep. Nights like this made her wish Doc could still be around; he always knew how to help her sleep.

Rising from the bed, she pulled on her glasses and gently moved to the floor. She picked up her skates and tiptoed to the door, smirking at the sound of Mater snoring. She slipped out of the train car and pulled on her skates, rolling off to explore. Most of the train cars contained things Harley just didn't understand: lots of computers and tech, a sort of training area, and some other areas like a kitchen. Then Harley found a rather empty train car with only a small fire pit and comfy shag carpeting. No lights, but Harley looked up and gawked at the window ceiling that showed the gorgeous night sky. Harley smiled, sitting down and stretching out on the warm carpet. She stared up at the stars, locating the different constellations or just staring happily. Looking at these stars, she thougt back to the nights she'd spend with the Radiator Springs' residents, staring at the beautiful night sky while talking happily at Flo's café. Harley felt her smile waver as a wave of homesickness soaked into her. _Wonder what they're doing right now. I bet they're watching Lightning race. Hope they're not too worried about me. Maybe I could call them or something. If they don't see me with Lightning at the races, Sheriff might blow a gasket from worry._

"Something on your mind?"

Harley gasped, bolting upright and spinning around. But she sighed when she saw Finn behind her. "Didn't your momma ever tell you not to sneak up on people?"

Finn chuckled. "I _am_ a spy."

Harley raised an eyebrow, staring at Finn over the rim of her glasses. "Touché."

"What are you doing out here?" Finn asked.

"Couldn't sleep." Harley shrugged, looking back up to the stars.

Finn followed her gaze. "Understandable. I myself enjoy coming out here when I can't sleep."

"I would've thought spies aren't supposed to reveal anything about themselves." Harley noted with a smirk.

Finn chuckled again. "You've watched too many movies. I don't mind talking about some aspects of my personal life. Do you?"

Harley still stared at the stars. "Sorta."

Finn seemed to analyze the girl with his stare. Harley stared at the sky, but she kept blinking as though the action distracted her from Finn's gaze. She gave off the illusion she was relaxed, but Finn could tell her body tensed up now and then. "You're family still around?"

"Yeah." Harley nodded, growing excited at the thought of her wonderful relatives. "Great group of people in a small town. Love 'em to death."

"Good." Finn nodded.

"What about you?" Harley asked.

Finn gave a bit of a shrug. "Not sure. I left home as a child to study at the academy. I once tried to go back to make amends."

Harley sat up, staring at Finn. "Did it not go well?"

Finn smirked. "My mother threw plates at me and my father threatened to take the hatchet to me if I didn't leave and never return."

"That's horrible." Harley looked thoroughly shocked. Then again, her father tried to kill her when she was just a toddler.

"I suppose I should've expected it." Finn said. "They didn't want me to be a spy; they wanted me to take over their family business selling tea. I didn't have anything against tea; in fact, I still buy from their store without them knowing. But I always knew I could do more than what they wanted. Last I heard, they had moved on with my little sister looking to take over the shop."

Harley looked down. "Sorry to hear. Can't imagine being hated by your own parents." She curled up a bit, thinking to her father.

Finn noticed the change in Harley's body language. "Sounds like you can."

Harley pushed her glasses up her nose. She didn't say anything for a moment before standing and skating off. Finn stared after the girl, wondering why he felt a need to go after her. But he only glanced up at the stars one more time before returning to bed.

* * *

As Stephenson, a bullet train, sped down the tracks towards Porto Corsa, everyone gathered around the main computers inside to analyze footage Holley was able to get of their targeted lemons.

"That three-wheeled feller had to be right about a big meetin'." Mater noted as they watched a couple well-preserved lemon models drive down the street, surorunded by black painted versions of the cars. "You never see this many lemons in one town."

"These guys must be very rich to stay so preserved." Harley mused.

"That's a familar sight." Mater noted as they turned their attention to the cameras again. "A Hugo bein' towed. But he looks absolutley perfect!"

"Of course." Finn realized. "They must be the heads of the lemon families."

"Makes sense." Mater mused. "If I was rich and broke down every day, I'd hire me to tow me around all the time too."

"So we've got the heads of the lemon families, Professor Zundapp, and a car whose engine is about the worst one ever made." Emily summarized. "All of them traveling to the same place for a big meeting. Something tells me they're going to be talking about something pretty important."

"We've got to infiltrate that meeting and find out who's behind all this." Finn decided.

"But how?" Emily asked. "The closer we try and get to hear or see anything, the greater our chances of getting caught."

Holley looked to Mater and smiled. She suddenly snappd a picture of Mater, the flash nearly blinding him, and she inserted the picture into the computer. With a few quick edits, Holley was able to take Mater's face and put it over the tow truck's in the picture.

Finn grinned. "Good job, Miss Shiftwell."

"Thank you, Finn." Holley said proudly.

"Whoa, hold up." Harley suddenly looked nervous. "You want to send Mater in there?"

"Out of all of us, he's the one who can best play the part." Finn reasoned. "The rest of us will standby in case he needs backup."

"Nuh-uh. Not happening." Harley said firmly. "If he's going in, I'm going in with him."

"Really?" Mater asked, surprised.

"Harley, if we try and put more of us in there it's only going to run the higher risk of our cover being blown." Emily reasoned. "We'll be on headset the entire time."

"Being on headset isn't nearly as good as having someone right there with him." Harley argued. "Either I go with him or he doesn't go at all."

"Aw man." Mater whined. "But Sissy—"

"I'm not going to take the risk that you get hurt in there." Harley protested. "I _will_ be right by your side should anything happen, and I won't let you go in without me."

Emily approached Harley with crossed arms and a stern glare. "Harley. We need him in there. What we _don't_ need in there a rookie who clearly has a conflict of interest."

Harley glared back at Emily, refusing to be deterred. "With all due respect, I'm going to have to insist. Family comes first, and I will do what I can to protect my brother." She turned to Finn. "This isn't negotiable, Finn. I'm going in there with him."

Finn stared at Harley for a moment, analyzing everything from her body language to the fiery look of determination that made her crystal blue eyes seem to glow. He could see Harley wasn't being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn; it wasn't that she felt left out or anything like that. She was simply concerned for Mater's safety. It seemed to just be a part of her nature, and frankly Finn found he could respect that. He looked to Holley. "Miss Shiftwell?"

Holley took another look at the camera images on the screen. "Well, it looks like our Head Hugo has a human mechanic. We could send Harley in as him. That would alleviate suspicions should any arise."

"Done." Harley nodded.

"Boy, I sure wish my friends could see us now!" Mater said excitedly.

 _I wonder if they're in Italy by now._ Harley thought. _I just hope Lightning will be okay during the race._

* * *

While Holley prepared the disguise program, everyone lounged about the train and did what they could to prepare for infiltrating the meeting. Mater watched Holley work, seeing how she would have to make modifications to the tow truck to create the disguise. Whether or not he understood what Holley did was debatable. Finn analyzed the building where the meeting would take place, talking with Harley often. Emily mostly sat in a corner, looking bored, before she disappeared. After several minutes, Harley decided to go looking for the human spy.

She discovered the blonde woman in another train car, the walls made up of large white tiles. Emily stood in the center of the room, taking a breath. "Activate training program." Emily said. Before Harley's eyes, the tiles changed and Emily seemed to stand in what looked like a Japanese dojo. Several ninjas appeared, taking fighting stances as they surrounded Emily. The blonde smirked, not even flinching when two of the ninjas lunged for her. She jumped and did a perfect split kick to knock them back. Harley watched, amazed, as Emily skillfully knocked aside every warrior that lunged towards her, taking a few out with her pistols. Harley was right; Emily was like a living Laura Croft, especially with her outfit. She moved with fluidity and grace, hardly breaking a sweat as she beat back her opponents. Once she finished, the program deactivated and Emily brushed invisible dirt off her skirt.

Harley clapped slowly. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Emily turned and smiled. "Thanks. It comes from plenty of training, I assure you."

"I can imagine." Harley said as she entered the room, looking around in awe. This was far much more hi-tech experience than she ever encountered. "You always practice alone?"

"Usually." Emily shrugged. "I work better that way."

"Seems rather lonely, don't you think?" Harley noted.

"Well, I used to be part of a team." Emily admitted. "I sort of...left it behind me for the assasination job."

"And yet you seem to do pretty well working with Finn and Holley." Harley said with a smile.

Emily smiled back. "I suppose so. You know, I really didn't like them at first. But since we started working on this mission together, it's starting to feel like the old days with the team. Finn and Holley...and you and Mater...you're not all that bad."

"Thanks." Harley nodded. "You're pretty cool too. I mean, you're like a living Laura Croft."

Emily still smiled as she shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Where'd you learn to be a spy anyway?" Harley asked.

"My parents and grandmother." Emily replied. "You know, my entire family is made up of spies."

"Really?" Harley asked incredulously. "That must be cool."

"Sort of." Emily laughed softly. "Being in a family of spies kind of means the job is pushed onto you. Of course, I already wanted to be a spy my entire childhood, so I didn't have a problem going to the academy. But it didn't make life necessarily easy for me. I didn't get to see much of my family, especially my parents, because everyone was going on missions. I spent most of my life at the academy."

Harley looked down. "Sounds rough."

Emily shrugged. "It was. Holidays are interesting, though. That's when a lot of the family likes to come together for a few days. My mother cooks Thanksgiving turkey with a flamethrower."

Harley giggled, and even Emily laughed. Harley looked to the blonde and smiled. "You know, my family isn't exactly normal either. My parents died when I was just a little kid, and then I was adopted by someone in the town where I'm from. Well, pretty much everyone in town adopted me. It is by no means a normal, everyday family, especially since I'm a psyche human. But I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. And that's why I insisted on going with Mater into this meeting."

Emily smiled warmly at the girl. "I admire your devotion, Harley. It's nice to see someone with such pure core values. But I must warn you: love can blind one far to easily. Even love for one's family can be dangerous for a spy. Our line of work doesn't exactly include close relationships. It makes us too vulnerable."

Harley looked down, unable to respond. Emily patted the girl's shoulder before walking off. Harley stared after her, sighing. _They still think we're spies._ As she soon began to realize, Harley never exactly gave them a clue to show she and Mater _weren't_ spies. There didn't seem to be a need to; after all, they were proving to be an excellent help in solving this case, and they could end up saving quite a few lives should they succeed. Besides, Harley enjoyed her time with Finn, Holley, and Emily. They were rather nice, and quite loyal. Harley almost didn't want to tell them the truth, considering how much fun she was having. How often does a sixteen-year-old get to travel the world and work with espionage? But there was that lingering fear in her mind that reminded her this was real-life spy work. People could get seriously hurt or killed. Then Harley thought back to the conversation in Siddeley, and how Mater had tried to tell Finn he was just a tow truck but the spy car didn't seem to really believe him.

 _How am I supposed to convince them?_ Harley sighed.

* * *

"That should just about do it." Holley said as she finished her work on Mater.

"Perfect." Finn nodded.

"So, Mater, it's voice-activated." Holley explained. "But, you know, everything's voice-activated these days."

"What? I thought you was supposed to be makin' me a disguise." Mater said.

" _Voice recognized."_ A woman's voice over the computer said. _"Diguise program initiated."_

A light passed over Mater, making him look like the Hugo's tow truck. He laughed. "Cool! Hey computer, make me a German truck!"

" _Request acknowledged."_ The computer said, changing Mater's disguise.

"Check it out!" Mater smiled broadly. "I'm wearing Materhosen. Make me a monster truck!" But when the disguise set in, Mater found himself looking more like Count Dracula than a giant-wheeled truck. Mater laughed, speaking in an Transylvanian accent. "I vant to siphon your gas!" He laughed again, hardly noticing the looks from his friends. Finn smirked, amused, while Harley was giggling furiously and holding her stomach as she sat on the ground. Emily shook her head and Holley just stared. "Now make me a taco truck!" The disguise changed, a horn playing "La Cucaracha." "A funny car!" Mater revved his engine hard, the sound almost making his friends go deaf until Finn shut off the disguise.

"The idea is to keep a low profile, Mater." Finn said, activating the Hugo's tow truck disguise.

"So I just go in, pretend to be this truck while Harley pretends ta be a mechanic." Mater guessed.

"And leave the rest to us." Finn assured.

"Now, hold still." Holley instructed. "I have to do the final fitting on your disguise." She clicked a couple things into the computer, but the computer began beeping at her. She glanced to Mater, noticing how his dents were messing with the calibration. She clicked something else, deactivating the disguise and bringing down a tool towards Mater.

"Hey, what're you doin'?" Mater asked, shying away from the tool.

"The disguise won't calibrate effectively without a smooth surface to graft onto." Holley explained.

"Oh, for a second there, I thought you was tryin' to fix mah dents." Mater said.

"Yes, I was." Holley said. Realizing Mater's discomfort, she put the tool away.

"Well then no thank you." Mater said firmly. "These dents don't get buffed, pulled, filled, or painted by nobody. They weigh too valuable."

"Your dents are valuable? Really?" Holley asked, a bit amazed.

"I said the same thing when he told me." Harley said with a giggle, leaning against the control panels for the computer.

"I come by each one of 'em with my best friend, Lightning McQueen." Mater explained. "I wanna remember these dents forever."

Holley smiled, still amazed by such dedication. "So, McQueen isn't just part of your cover."

"Friendships can be dangerous in our line of work, Mater." Finn said solemnly. His heart was still heavy at the thought of Leland.

"But my line of work is towin' and salvage." Mater protested.

Harley cast a sideways glance to the spies, waiting for their reaction. Finn smirked. "Right. And Miss Shiftwell's is designing iPhone apps." Mater tried to protest, to reaffirm his occupation, but Holley interrupted him.

"No, it's okay." Holley assured. "Say no more. I'll work around the dent." Mater slumped a bit, but didn't protest anymore.

"In the meantime..." Finn pressed a button on the computer, and the panels on the walls and ceiling flipped to reveal an arsenal of weaponry. "You look a little light on weapons."

"Oh boy." Harley blinked, unable to imagine what Mater might do with such tools at his use.

"Don't worry, you'll get some too." Finn assured Harley. "As powerful as you are with that wrench and paintball gun, we aren't letting you go in there without proper protection."

"I appreciate that." Harley nodded, still amazed by the gadgets and guns. "Thanks."

"Your disguise is much simpler, Harley." Emily said, retrieving a pile of clothing from a table nearby. "It's a jumpsuit identical to the mechanic's. We're also going to modify your skates a bit so the wheels can fold into the shoes and you can walk around. And you can tuck your hair up into the hat to better pass on for a boy. Let's just be thankful you don't have much of a bust."

"Gee, I feel so much better." Harley rolled her eyes.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to keep your glasses in your pocket or something because the mechanic doesn't wear glasses." Finn said. "The jumpsuit will fit over your clothes, but to make sure your movement isn't restricted, you'll have to leave the jacket behind. If I may." Finn moved to take the jacket from Harley, but the second he touched the fabric Harley's mood took a sharp turn. She leaped to her feet and swung a skate around, kicking Finn in the jaw. "OW!" The Aston Martin yelped, hoping the girl didn't leave a dent or knock a tooth loose.

Harley glared with all the fury of a snarling wolf. "If you _ever_ touch this jacket again, I'll put a bullet in your windshield!"

Finn reversed a few feet, staring at Harley in shock. Emily's eyes widened a bit, taking a step back herself. Holley and Mater stared at Harley with wide eyes, looking more concerned than anything else. None of them had ever seen such a look of hatred in Harley's eyes, not even Mater.

"Materialistic much?" Emily muttered.

"Now, Harley..." Mater said soothingly.

Harley whipped around to her surrogate brother. "Nobody touches this jacket, Mater. You know that!"

"Well, _I_ know that, but do they?" Mater pointed out, gesturing to the three spies in the room.

Harley blinked, her anger disappearing as she turned to stare at Finn, Holley, and Emily. The three spies didn't look so shocked anymore, but rather concerned. Harley glared at the ground, her hands clenching into fists. "I need to be alone." She skated off, pushing past the spies as she disappeared into another train car.

"What was that all about?" Holley asked, the question mostly directed to Mater.

"Oh, it's not yer fault." Mater assured. "That there jacket is awful special ta Harley."

"A simple racing jacket?" Emily asked, confused.

"It's not just any racing jacket." Mater shook his hood. "She made it herself. It's all she's got left ta remember Doc."

"Doc?" Finn asked.

"Her daddy." Mater said. "Harley's folks died when she was a baby, so Doc took her in. The jacket's all she's got left of him."

Finn stared in the direction Harley left before excusing himself and following the brunette. He discovered her not in the next car, but the car after that, where the sleeping quarters were located. Harley sat curled in a ball in the corner, glowering at nothing in particular.

Finn approached the girl tentatively, hoping she didn't kick him again. "Harley?"

Harley wouldn't look at Finn. "I'm sorry I kicked you."

Finn's jaw still throbbed a bit, but he managed to ignore it. "It's all right. I'm sorry for not asking before trying to take that jacket from you." He offered a small smile. "Can we talk for a moment?" Harley didn't answer. "Or you could talk and I could listen." Silence. Finn chuckled. "Or I could talk and _you_ could listen."

Harley didn't respond, still glaring. But she seemed angrier at herself than him, so Finn dared himself to stay with her a little longer. The silence hung in the air. After a moment, Harley spoke. "I don't know how to let my guard down around other people. I could only do it around my dad, and he's gone now."

Finn nodded in understanding. "Mater just told us. Sounds like you really loved him."

"He was more of a father to me than my birth father." Harley confirmed, her voice not sounding angry but still bitter. "I promised I wouldn't cry over him when he died. I'm not upset anymore; I've come to terms with what happened. But people still think I'm not over it. I _am._ I'm still sad, but I'm over it, really." She sighed. "I miss him. That's not going to change; I really do miss him a lot. But I have to show people that I'm strong because I _hate_ it when I see those pathetic looks of pity. I don't need their pity. I'm strong. That's how I was raised."

"I know you're strong, Harley." Finn said in a kind tone. "You don't _ever_ have to show people how strong you are because anyone who doubts that is in for quite the surprise. Everyone here knows how strong you are and how brave you can be."

Harley finally looked up. "Really? Because I feel like I haven't been much help lately."

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Harley." Finn assured. "Anyone who saves my life jumping off a roof and landing on a car is pretty brave in my book." Harley giggled softly, and Finn chuckled. "I'm thankful to have met you and Mater. You're true friends."

"This coming from the guy who said friendships are dangerous." Harley raised an eyebrow.

Finn's face fell, and he sighed softly. "I only speak from experience."

Harley blinked, staring at Finn. She swallowed a bit, deciding to bite the bullet. "What do you mean?"

Finn closed his eyes, images of Leland's crushed corpse flashing before his vision. But he sighed heavily and stared at Harley with a sad gaze. "I used to have a best friend. A good ol' chap by the name of Leland Turbo. He and I knew each other from the academy days." He chuckled softly. "Oh, the trouble we used to get in and out of in our younger years."

Harley could tell this story was about to take a sorrowful turn. But she dared to ask, "What happened to him?"

Finn's face fell. "He was killed. At the beginning of this entire mission. He was the first one on the oil platforms and called me for backup. By the time I arrived, it was too late... _I_ was too late..." He slumped a little on his tires, murmuring, "I didn't get to say goodbye."

Harley stared at Finn, noticing how almost vulnerable the spy car looked. Finally she understood why Finn said friendships were dangerous. She could only imagine how Finn felt when he found out what happened to his best friend. At least Harley was able to say goodbye to her father and see him off, knowing he died without pain. Somehow, she knew Leland wasn't so lucky. The brunette human stood from her spot, moving alongside Finn and placing a hand on his hood. He looked up to her, aqua green eyes locking onto crystal blue, and the two of them briefly felt something like an electric shock. Harley shook it off as static and smiled warmly at Finn. To his surprise, Harley reached her other arm across his roof in the best hug she could give. To his even bigger surprise, Finn leaned into her touch and sighed heavily. Harley's smile grew, rubbing Finn's hood affectionately.

Harley had a hole in her heart...so did Finn.

After a long moment, the two pulled away. Harley slid her jacket off her and slowly set it on Finn's hood. "I trust you."

Finn smiled. "Thank you, Harley. Now come along. We've got a meeting to crash." He turned and began making his way to the others.

"Hey Finn." Harley called, making Finn pause and turn to her. "I know you think friendships are dangeorus, but I'm really glad you're my friend."

Finn stared at Harley for a moment before smiling. "Same to you, Harley."


	23. C2: Fear Takes Hold

**A/N: Long chapter alert! But it's an important and a climax chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Fear Takes Hold

The day of the meeting and the race came. Lightning rolled onto the track, waiting for Harley to call into his radio and check in. But he remembered the girl had left days ago, and he felt his stomach twist into knots. He couldn't even pay attention to Francesco's taunt as he rolled into the second place spot at the starting point of the track. He tried to put on a smile for the crowd, but the silence over his radio made him even more upset. Harley didn't always talk into his headset during races, but it was common enough for Lightning to miss it now that she wasn't there.

" _McQueen, is-a everything okay?"_ Luigi asked.

" _If you're worried about your fuel, man, don't."_ Fillmore assured. _"It's perfectly safe."_

Lightning couldn't care less about his fuel, even with everyone talking about allinol being the reason three racers flamed out at the last race. "No, guys, I just really wish Harley and Mater were here."

"Francesco understands, McQueen." Francesco said, rolling up beside the stock car.

"Oh, great. Here it comes." Lightning rolled his eyes. "What do you got, Francesco?"

"For framous racecars like Francesco, to be far away from home is-a not easy." Francesco guessed. "When-a Francesco is away from home, he misses his mama, just like-a you miss your tow truck _amico_ and the little _fiore."_

Lightning blinked in surprise. "Gee, I maybe misjudged you, because that's exactly—"

"Of course, I am at home, and my mama is right here." Francesco gestured to the crowd, where another Formula One-like female car waved.

"And _there's_ the insult we were missing." Lightning rolled his eyes. _"Gratzi."_ He revved his engine, determined to do what he could to win today for his sake if not for Harley and Mater's.

The lights blinked green, and the racers were off!

* * *

Harley hooked her glasses onto to collar of her T-shirt before zipping up the jumpsuit. Emily was right; the one-piece suit fit perfect over her shorts and T-shirt. She made sure all of her hair was tucked into the baseball hat she wore before nodding in satisfaction. She joined Mater to watch Holley and Emily approach the vehicle and human they would impresonate, the two female spies doing their best acts of flirtation. By the looks of things, the men were falling for the females' ruse quite easily.

" _Get ready, Mater and Harley."_ Finn said over their radios. _"You're on any moment now."_

Mater reversed back a bit, looking nervous. "But, Finn, what if I screw things up?"

" _Impossible."_ Finn said confidently. _"Just apply the same level of dedication you've been using to play the idiot tow truck, and you'll be fine."_

"I just don't like the look of those—" Mater paused. "Wait, did you say 'idiot'? Is that how you see me?"

" _That's how everyone sees you."_ Finn replied, unaware of the impact of his words. _"Isn't that the idea? It's really a rather genius idea. No one realizes they're being fooled because they're too busy laughing at the fool. Brilliant!"_

Mater stared at his reflection in a pair of glass doors, feeling like a snake was constricting his engine. Then he thought back to what Lightning said to him, and realization hit him like an avalanche of boulders. _A fool...is that really all I am?_

Harley noticed the look, even with her blurry vision. _Oh boy._ "Look, Mater, what Finn means is that—" She and Mater jumped at the sound of electricity and a _thud_ , turning to see Holley and Emily knocking out the Hugo's tow truck and human mechanic.

"Why aren't you in disguise?" Holley demanded. "Come on! There's no time! Go!"

"Okay, okay!" Mater nodded, trying to get himself focused again. "Computer, disguise!"

" _Request acknowledged."_ The disguise came on over Mater.

"Good luck, you two." Emily said as she and Holley snuck off.

"Let's go, Mater." Harley urged. She jumped into Mater's flatbed, patting her pockets underneath the jumpsuit and nodding in satisfaction at feeling her paintball gun. Her wrench rested in a pocket on the jumpsuit itself. Strapped to her ankle was a knife and she wore a belt full of gadgets around her hips. _Go time._ She thought, putting on a stoic face as Mater rolled up beside the Hugo's henchmen. A van pulled up. The back door lowered down, and the front of a Hugo poked out.

"Ivan." The Hugo called. Harley gave Mater a subtle knock on the head with her knuckles, encouraging him forward. Mater hooked up the smaller car, the henchmen gathering around as they drove into the hotel where the meeting would take place. Harley tried to keep her body relaxed as she stood up in Mater's flatbed, leaning against him. But she had to admit: if Mater wasn't there with her, she would've gone running out the door again. She swallowed a bit, trying to focus on anything except the danger she felt.

Mater gawked as they made their way through the casino. "Whoa! This place looks like it's made outta gold!" The computer-like screen Holley installed in his windshield bothered him a bit as it scanned the poker tables and listed odds of winning. "Why is that?" Mater asked, apparently talking to Holley. "What do you mean, 'Don't talk to ya'?"

 _Mater, shut up!_ Harley wanted to scream.

"You are acting strange today, Ivan." One of the Hugo henchmen noted suspiciously.

Mater glanced to the black car, his windshield giving him information about the Hugo beside him. "I have no idea what yer talkin' about, Alexander Hugo aka Chop Shop Alex. Hey , you got a lot of aka's, Alex. But I guess that makes sense, seein's how you's wanted in France, Germany, Czech Republic..."

"Okay, okay! Keep your voice down! You gonna make me arrested!" Alexander hissed. He turned to the henchman on the other side of Mater. "Don't mess with Ivan today. He is in a bad mood."

Outisde, Holley gawked at Mater's actions. "He's so good." Finn said with a smirk.

"Good, but risky." Emily said. "Maybe it _is_ a good thing Harley is there with him."

Finn nodded a bit in agreement. But he still couldn't shake that bad feeling he got at the thought of Harley in that meeting and in possible danger.

The Head Hugo suddenly shouted in pain, forcing Mater to stop. "Oh great!" the Hugo groaned. "Albert! My wheel has fallen off again."

" _That's you, Harley."_ Finn said into Harley's hidden earpiece. Harley pulled out her wrench and jumped down from Mater, walking around to pick up the wheel. But as she stuck it on, she noticed why the Hugo had said "again;" the bolt connecting the wheel to the axle was loose, even when she managed to twist the wheel back on. So, despite the Hugo's indignant barks, Harley moved underneath him and began tightening the bolt.

"What are you doing down there you stupid boy?" the Hugo snapped. He yelped when Harley jerked the bolt tight, but then blinked. "Hey, that feels rather nice! Well done, Albert. Remind me to give you raise when we get home."

Harley waved a hand dismissively as she hopped back onto Mater, tucking her wrench away. Evil these cars may be, she knew they just had it rough. It was no wonder they seemed so evil, what with how the majority of the world treated their kind. Harley thought back to constant customer Otis back in Radiator Springs. He seemed like such a nice guy, even when he kept breaking down. Certainly not the type to be so malicious. But these cars...these lemons...they let the harsh words get to them and it turned them bitter. Harley learned about cruelty from Doc's experiences, but it amazed her how much people could be affected and how despicable they could become.

Mater continued on to a set of large double doors, pushed open by two human waiters. Mater and Harley's eyes widened a bit at the sight of all the lemons inside. Mater's windshield identified the other three heads to the lemon families, labeling them as "very dangerous." But Harley's subtle, encouraging pat forced Mater to continue on into the room, dropping off Victor Hugo on one side of the table before backing up several feet. Harley jumped out of the disguised tow truck, standing close beside him.

Loud knocking came from the door. Harley heard Finn's voice say _"Here we go."_ She wondered for a moment what this Big Boss Lemon would look like when the doors swung open and a small, German microcar rolled forward.

" _Guten Tag."_ Zündapp greeted.

"It's just the professor." Pacer sighed, everyone relaxing a bit out of dissapointment.

"Zündapp!" Hugo snapped. "When is he coming?"

"He's already here." Zündapp assured, driving to the head of the table as a television screen lowered from the ceiling. The doors were shut again to give everyone privacy, and the television switched on to reveal the Big Boss. But, like the photo Mater used to carry, it only showed the car's open hood and exposed engine as he was getting an operation done.

" _Welcome, everyone."_ The Boss greeted, his voice deeper than it should sound for any normal car, lemon or otherwise. _"I wish I could be with you on this very special day, but my clutch assembly broke. You know how it is."_ The lemons in the room nodded, voicing their agreement. If Harley had to guess, most of them probably went through the same thing.

 _But now all we have is an engine and a disguised voice._ Harley thought. _So much for infiltrating the meeting for the guy's identity._ A horrible realization struck her. _So what do we do now?_

The Boss's speech drew Harley's attention back to him. He began a riveting speech of how the world turned their backs to the lemon every insult the Boss listed, the cars in the room seemed to grow tenser. Harley felt a sense of danger, her fight or flight reflexes urging her to run. She ignored the feeling, staying close to Mater. Three more TV screens lowered down, switching on to show the World Grand Prix race just as Brazilian racecar Carla Veloso flamed out and crashed into the railing of the casino bridge. Mater and Harley gasped softly at the sight.

The lemons cheered for the crash, as though seeing the racer getting hurt was like a good joke. _"They laughed at us, but now it's our turn to laugh back."_ The Boss said, his tone indicating a sneer. On the screens, yet another racecar flamed out and ended up crashing into a wall as well. This car, Nigel Gearsley, desperately tried to stop but couldn't prevent his impact. His psyche human partner seemed to have collapsed on his roof, unconscious.

* * *

Finn was quickly growing impatient. "Holley!"

"I'm detecting an extremely strong electromagnetic pulse." Holley finally reported, following the pulse's trajectory to its source. Her eyes widened. "Finn, it's the camera!"

"Where?" Finn demanded.

"On the tower!" Holley said quickly. Emily activated the magnets in her gloves and boots and jumped onto Finn's roof just as the Aston Martin sped off.

* * *

Harley couldn't believe what she was seeing. So much destruction, and these cars didn't seem to care.

 _This is their plan?_ Harley thought, horrified. _They're willing to put the lives of these racers in danger just to make alternative fuel look bad and then they get more money? How could they be so cruel? Don't they realize how much their affecting these lives? Someone's going to get killed!_

* * *

"Get out of the way!" Finn shouted, snapping at cars in Italian as he drove. He skidded to a halt when he saw the tower, unfortunatley a long way off from where he stood. Not wasting a second, Finn shot down the hill and leaped over the edge, bouncing a bit off the rooftops and ricocheting off the road as he managed to get to the main street below. Emily grunted a bit with every impact, struggling a bit to hold onto the Aston Martin. She and Finn ignored the cars honking at them as the latter kept his speed up, engine revving furiously.

Finally, the tower came into sight, but when Finn rounded the corner he saw his path blocked by a large truck. He quickly made a sharp right turn, almost throwing Emily off in the process, and shot up the hill and through the alleyways towards the camera.

"Come on, Finn!" Emily urged. "Hurry!"

Finn and Emily finally came to the rooftops behind the tower, glaring down at Grem and Acer below them. Emily moved to Finn's side, keeping one hand magnet attached to the Aston Martin while she drew her pistol in her free hand. Finn shot forward, leaping off the rooftop and aiming to practically ram Acer and Grem right off the tower.

Suddenly, Finn and Emily stopped in middair. They barely had time to react before they were pulled to a large magnet just above them, attached to a helicopter.

"We figured you might stop by!" Acer laughed, he and Grem returning their attention to the race. Finn and Emily struggled fiercely, but found they were unable to jerk themselves free of the poweful magnet. Emily couldn't even deactivate the magnets in her gloves and boots.

* * *

Before Harley's and Mater's wide eyes, Japanese racer Shu Todoroki flamed out and began skidding across the track. The racer behind him desperately tried to stop, only to crash into Shu and send both of them skidding across the track. The impact of the two cars hitting sent the second racer's psyche human partner flying from his perch, the poor man tumbling to the ground and barely having time to scramble out of the cars' way. A third racer crashed into the two cars. Then two more. Another psyche human rider was thrown off his car and hit the ground hard, crying out that his leg had been hurt. Thankfully, the last two racers skidded to a halt before they could crash into anyone.

Harley stared in shock at the screens. Even with her blurry vision, she could see just how extensive the damaging crash turned out. _Lightning...Chrysler, Lightning where the heck are you?_ But she gave a silent sigh of relief when she saw Lightning and Francesco speed across the finish line, unaware of the major crash that happened behind them. _Safe...oh thank Ford in heaven, he's safe._ Harley couldn't stop staring at the screens, still horrified by it all. _All this...just because they were insulted._

 _Why? Why did it have to come to this?_

* * *

Finn and Emily struggled fiercely, but could do nothing as the helicopter continued to fly. "Emily, you've got to get out of here." Finn urged.

"What about you?" Emily demanded.

"Don't worry about me, just go!" Finn ordered.

"Leland didn't trust me to get you off that platform alive if he wanted you to get killed now!" Emily snapped.

"Leland isn't here!" Finn shouted. He glared at Emily, but his eyes held a hint of sorrow. He gave a few more jerks, but he was stuck tight. "For Chrysler's sake, Emily, just go!"

"I'm not going to leave you behind!" Emily said firmly.

"Why not?" Finn demanded.

"Because the last time I left someone behind, they got killed!" Emily almost screamed.

Finn opened his mouth to snap, but suddenly it clicked in his head. The last time Emily left someone behind...or, more importantly, _four_ someones. "Your team..."

Emily sighed. "Our leader told us to run, to leave him behind. We split up. I made it out, they didn't." She glared. "I'm not making that same mistake twice!"

"You don't have to worry about me." Finn assured. "It's not leaving me behind if I order you to go."

"Well you're not the boss of me!" Emily sassed.

"Why can't you just do as your told?" Finn snapped.

"Look, ya damn Brit. I don't know how you do things in London but back in the States, we don't abandon our friends!" Emily finally managed to wiggle a hand free from her glove and hurriedly unzipped her boots. She swung out and up, landing on top of the magnet before pulling her other hand free. Leaving her gloves and boots behind, Emily grabbed the cable attaching the magnet to the helicopter and began to climb. In her head, she thought she could hijack the helicopter's controls and force him to release Finn. But when she finally came only a few feet from the helicopter itself, a door opened on the helicopter's side and a ladder dropped down. Before Emily could react, a human man swung down and stabbed a tranquilizer dart into her arm. She gasped in pain, then immediately fell limp. The man grabbed the female spy and hauled her up again, back into the helicopter.

* * *

Soon, all the TVs began to show several reporters approaching Miles Axlerod, who looked mortified at the sight of the race's outcome. When he announced that he would discontinue the use of Allinol in the final race, every lemon in the room cheered loudly, and Harley and Mater froze in fear. They had lost; the lemons won. The old cars just took down any future alternative fuel had and nobody knew about it except Harley, Mater, and their spy friends. Everything they worked for was down the drain. Still, Harley felt a glimmer of hope. _If we could just show the world allinol isn't bad, it's just what these guys are doin' to it._

"A toast!" Zündapp called, a couple waiters popping open some champegne bottles. "To the death of allinol and alternative fuel forever!"

" _Mater, Harley, abort the mission."_ Holley said into her radio. _"They've got Finn and Emily. Get out of there. Get out of there right now."_ Holley gasped.

" _How is your grandfather?"_ A cruel, deep voice asked right before the line went dead.

"Mater, let's get out of here." Harley whispered, fighting to keep her voice steady. She and Mater began moving towards the door, but stopped when a black Hugo approached them.

"Isn't this a great party, Ivan, huh?" the Hugo smiled.

"Oh, yeah, it's unbelievable." Mater nodded.

"You two are not leaving, are you?" the black Hugo asked, albeit suspicously. Harley kept her eyes down, the bill of her hat over her face, fighting back the urge to tremble.

"Uh...of course I ain't leavin'." Mater said. He glanced to the TVs and blinked in surprise. "McQueen?" Harley glanced to the TV and saw Lightning talking to the press.

" _They're letting you choose your fuel for the final race."_ Darrell Cartrip said. _"Do you have any idea what it's gonna be?"_

" _Allinol."_ Lightning said without hesitation.

The entire room gave shouts of astonishment, turning their attention to the screens. Even Harley was surprised. _Lightning, what the heck are you doing?_

" _My friend Fillmore says the fuel's safe."_ Lightning said. _"That's good enough for me. I didn't stand by a couple friends of mine recently. I'm not gonna make the same mistake twice."_

Mater and Harley stared as Lightning departed from the reporters. Harley sighed quietly, staring at the ground. _Thanks, Speed Racer. You've learned your lesson. But you don't even know you're putting yourself in danger._ She exchanged worried glances with Mater.

"Allinol must be finished for good." Zündapp announced, drawing everyone's attention to him. "McQueen cannot win the last race. Lightning McQueen must be killed!"

Mater's and Harley's eyes widened. "No!" Mater gasped, reversing suddenly. His orange light on top of his roof hit the TV screen, jerking the light loose and accidentally messing with his disguise prgram to make him look like a taco truck. His horn started playing La Cucaracha, a side panel snapping open and knocking Harley's hat off her head to reveal her identity. Everyone reversed away from them, watching in shock as Mater's disguise program switched several times before decloaking altogether. He gave a sheepish smile.

"Uh oh." Harley gulped.

"It's the American spy!" Zündapp shouted. Immediately, several of the lemon henchmen pulled out rather large guns, aiming them towards Mater and Harley.

"Dad gum!" Mater gulped a bit.

" _Gatling gun."_ The computer said. _"Request acknowledged."_ Large gatling guns appeared out of Mater's fenders, just behind his headlights.

"Mater?" Harley intoned.

"Shoot, I didn't mean—" Mater didn't even have time to finish before the computer said "Request acknowledged" and his guns began firing. Harley yelped and leaped into Mater's flatbed. She hurriedly pulled on her glasses, staring in shock as Mater began shooting wildly. Zündapp and the lead lemons turned the table on its side to hide from the gunfire.

"Mater, what are you doing?!" Harley cried.

"I dunno!" Mater yelped, suddenly backing out the doors and onto the balcony. "I didn't mean that kind of shoot!" His guns stopped firing.

" _Correction acknowledged. Deploying chute."_ Mater's guns disappeared, but a huge orange parachute appeared out of his back, right behind the coil of his tow cable. The wind caught the chute and carried the tow truck off the balcony and into the air.

"For Chrysler's sake, what did Finn _give you_?" Harley snapped.

Mater looked around, confused but thankful to be out of the hotel. But he looked ahead and saw McQueen at the winner's circle at the racetrack. "McQueen!" Mater's eyes darted around before he caught sight of a boat down below, and he swung his tow hook around before tossing it down. The hook caught the back railing of the boat, who then began dragging Mater and Harley along through the sky. Mater stayed focused on the red stock car as he directed himself through the air. Suddenly, his tow hook came loose and he began falling out of the air. He hit a sign right before crashing into a booth of souvenirs. Harley grunted from the impact of hitting the ground, but managed to shake it off just as Mater sped off towards the track.

"Whoa, Mater!" Harley called, trying to stand only to fall down again. "Hold up!"

"Let me through!" Mater called, panicked, as he skidded to a halt in front of the gate to the media entrance. "I gotta get through to warn McQueen!"

"We have a lunatic at Gate 9." The second security car said. Harley took a look to see Mater had several strange items attached to him, giving him quite the image of a lunatic.

"No, Listen!" Mater pleaded. "I was disguised as a tow truck to inflitrate this lemonhead meetin' and my weapons system's done misinterperated what I'm sayin'!"

"Mater, do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?" Harley snapped, smacking a palm tree branch away.

"You know I'm tellin' the truth!" Mater protested.

"Yeah, I do but they don't!" Harley countered.

Mater looked past the gates. He spotted McQueen heading down from the winner's circle, suddenly darting around the security cars and speeding towards the press surrounding McQueen, all his decorations dropping off. "McQueen!" Mater shouted, desperately trying to see his friend through the crowd. "They're gonna kill you!"

"Mater, you are going to cause mass panic!" Harley snapped, jumping out of the tow truck. "We've got to get out of here!"

"Harley, you kin git through this crowd." Mater said hurriedly, calling for McQueen in between sentences. "Go warn him! Please!"

"Mater, McQueen's only chance of living through the final race rests in Finn, Holley, and Emily." Harley protested. "We have to go save them!"

"But if McQueen don't use allinol in the last race, he'll live! Ya gotta go tell 'im that!" Mater protested. "McQueen! _McQueen!"_

"But Mater—" Harley started.

"Harley, _please."_ Mater stared at Harley with pleading eyes, a look so desperate she was shocked he could even wear such an expression. "He's mah best friend, Harley. I don't want 'im ta die."

Harley felt her blood run cold, remembering Finn's talk about Leland. She was scared to think about what might happen to Finn, Holley, and Emily, but she knew Mater was right. If she could warn Lightning ahead of time, she and Mater could go save the others. She sighed. "Fine. But you stay right here, got that? Don't move from this spot!" She popped the wheels out of her shoes, skating through the crowd of reporters and even rolling over some car hoods in the process. "Speed Racer! Lightning!"

Lightning blinked in surprise when he spied a patch of cobalt-streaked brown hair, followed by Harley approaching him. "Harley? You're here?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Harley said hurriedly. "You've gotta listen to me—"

"I thought I heard Mater." Lightning said, looking past Harley and out to the crowd.

"He's back there." Harley waved a hand back to where she left Mater. "But Lightning—" She gasped when Lightning suddenly pushed past her, making his way through the reporters towards Mater. "Wait, Lightning!" She groaned in frustration, rolling her eyes. "Boys." The brunette hurriedly skated after Lightning, keeping right beside him as they traveled through the crowd to get to Mater.

"Mater!" Lightning called, eyeing the rusted tow hook at the back of the crowd.

"McQueen!" Mater called.

Lightning's face broke into smiles, Harley excusing him as they continued on pushing through the reporters. "Mater!" Harley called.

"Mater!" Lightning cried happily. "Mater, I'm so glad to see you. I'm so sorry—"

"Lightning McQueen!" Ivan the tow truck cried excitedly. "I am a huge fan!"

Lightning shrunk down a bit, surprised to see someone other than his friend. Harley gasped and her eyes nearly popped right out of her skull, they were so wide. Ivan cast her a brief glance before returning his attention to McQueen, giving some excuse about him being the one out there instead of Mater. But Harley didn't hear it, slowly skating backwards and away from Ivan. Soon, she lost sight of Ivan and Lightning as the reporters gathered around again. She felt herself hyperventilating a little, looking all around for Mater. But the rusted tow truck was nowhere in sight, only increasing the teenager's fears.

"Mater?" Harley wanted to call out, but found her voice only came as a whispered whimper. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her stomach, pinning her arms to her sides. Harley let out a startled scream, but it was muffled by a hand slapping over her mouth. She struggled fiercely, but the man who held her kept a tight grip. She continued to scream, desperate to escape. The man forcibly led Harley to a more secluded area, where several black lemons waited.

"Here ya go." The man said, shoving Harley towards the cars. She tripped over her own feet, two of the lemons pressing on either side of the girl and nearly crushing her. The man marched off, the lemons dragging Harley away as the girl thrashed and shouted.

"Let me go!" Harley yelled. "Let me go right now you stupid jackwagons! You big jerks!" The lemons did their best to ignore her as they drove towards a small building behind the bleachers of the race course, where several vans stood by for transport. Harley could see a group of lemons loading an unconcsious Holley and Emily into one of the vans. Mater was no doubt in the second van. The third van was still wide open, and Harley heard the sounds of a struggle. She stopped her thrashing and craned her neck to see several lemons struggling with Finn as the Aston Martin fought back against them. Finn suddenly noticed the brunette girl and their eyes locked.

"Harley!" Finn called.

"Finn!" Harley cried, resuming her struggling. The lemons tightened their grip on her, but Harley noticed a lemon right in front of her. Her legs below the knees were still loose, not being pinched between the two lemons that held her captive. Harley glared hard. "Maybe you didn't hear me the first time, you dolts. I said _let go of me!_ " Harley suddenly kicked one of her skates up, planting her foot into the undercarriage of the car in front of her.

The lemon tensed up, feeling pain radiate through his entire form. He let out a high-pitched scream of pain. Every lemon in the area cringed, moaning in sympathy. Even Finn hissed in pity. Harley felt the two lemons holding her loosen their grip, and she pushed herself out before skating hurriedly to Finn. The Aston Martin broke free from his own captors, his eyes darting around for an escape route. But as they desperately searched for a way out, Harley and Finn discovered the lemons blocked every exit.

"Harley, run for it." Finn urged.

"I don't wanna leave you." Harley said, pressing herself close to Finn's side. She crouched next to his front wheel, a hand on his fender. She felt the muscles in her legs tense up, and she got the feeling that even if she wanted to run, she wouldn't be able to.

Finn noticed some of the lemons getting close and unloaded his gun, firing a few shots at the ground and forcing the lemons to back up. Many of the lemons kept their distance, realizing Finn acted quite protective of Harley. Trying to go closer at this point would be suicidal, but the lemons held their ground to make sure Finn and Harley didn't escape. Finn kept his gun out, glaring at the lemons surrounding them. "Just get out of here, Harley. Run."

"No." Harley said, sounding desperate. "I don't abandon my friends."

"Harley." Finn snapped.

"Finn." Harley snapped back.

"Best listen to him, child." Zündapp said, pushing his way through the lemon henchmen to approach Finn and Harley. Finn tensed up on his axles, glaring at Zündapp. But the German microcar stared at Harley with a somewhat bored expression. "If the two of you don't stand down, I'm afraid you'll be shot and killed. I'm sure we can find someone who isn't afraid to kill a child." Zündapp smirked at the terrified look on Harley's face, and then he noticed Finn's mildly confused look. "What? You did not know, McMissile? The girl beside you is not a spy."

"What are you talking about?" Finn growled.

Zündapp chuckled darkly. "I was at the academy for a while too, McMissile. The girl is far too young. Just ask her."

Finn glared hard. "I don't need to ask her!"

"Then I will." Zündapp turned to Harley. "Girl, how old are you?"

Harley swallowed, shaking a bit. "I-I'm sixteen. Why?"

Finn felt as though the revelation punched him in the jaw, his eyes widening as he stared at Harley. "You're sixteen? I thought you just looked young for your age."

Harley sighed. "I'm not...I'm only sixteen years old..." She hung her head. "I'm not a spy, Finn. I'm sorry."

Finn stared at Harley, shocked by the news. _Harley..._ Could've fooled just about anyone. Her age aside, Harley had all the power, skill, and smarts that made a perfect spy, just without the proper training. Finn glared at Zündapp again. "Zündapp, if I surrender quietly, will you promise not to hurt her?"

Harley's eyes widened. "Finn, no!"

"The good news for you, McMissile, is I would prefer to not soil my tires with the blood of a mere child." Zündapp said with a sneer. "You give yourself up, knowing you will die, and I will let her go free. It's not like she is a threat to us." He and several of the lemons laughed.

Finn's glare deepened, if it were possible at that moment. "Done."

"Not done!" Harley cried, on the verge of tears. "Finn, I'm not leaving you here to die!"

"Harley, you've got to go." Finn ordered, watching the lemons part to create a pathway for the girl. "Don't worry about me."

Harley stayed pressed against Finn's side, glancing nervously at the enemy cars before them. She kept a hand on Finn's hood, turning and staring at him fearfully. "I don't want to lose you." She whispered.

Finn locked eyes with the girl, giving her a soft nuzzle. "Go, Harley." He breathed. "Please."

Harley knew there was no arguing with him. The Aston Martin was going into his death bravely, all because he was just trying to protect her. Harley pressed her forehead against Finn's hood, staying like that for a second before pushing off him and skating away as fast as she could. Finn waited until she rounded a corner and disappeared from sight before putting his gun away. The lemons surrounded him again.

"You truly care for the girl." Zündapp chuckled. "Just as I'm sure you cared very much for Agent Turbo."

If glares could kill, Finn's would send Zündapp to the lowest levels of hell. He said nothing, though, as the lemons herded him towards the van. _Harley...be safe. Find a way home._

Harley rounded the corner and entered a building, practically collapsing behind some crates and panting heavily. She found a window above her and climbed up a few crates to peer out. She watched, horrified, as the lemons forced Finn into the last van. The cars departed, taking Harley's friends with them. Harley felt herself shaking so much that, when she climbed down off the crates, she ended up slipping and falling to the ground. She forced herself to stand up, her breathing shallow and labored.

 _Don't cry._ She told herself. _Whatever you do, Harley Hudson,_ do not _cry._

She gasped at the sound of voices, and she scrambled around looking for a hiding spot.

Acer and Grem entered the warehouse, guns drawn and ready to fire, but blinked in surprise to find the room void of human girl. "You sure you saw her go in here?" Grem asked.

"Yeah!" Acer nodded, the two of them searching the room. "I know I saw her come in here!"

"Well, she's not here now!" Grem snapped. Sure enough, there were crates piled all around the room and a large trailer dead center of the space, but Harley was nowhere in sight. The two lemons even checked in several of the crates only to find all of them bolted shut. They checked under the trailer but saw nothing, and knew at once that the trailer was too high for Harley to jump up on top.

"Great!" Acer groaned. "She must've slipped out before we got here. She could be halfway to town by now."

"What're we supposed to tell the professor?" Grem demanded. "He said we couldn't leave her alive!"

"Eh, what's some dumb kid gonna do?" Acer scoffed as they drove off. "What the professor doesn't know, won't hurt him."

It was silent in the room for several moments until Harley peered out from over the top of the trailer. She pulled off her jumpsuit disguise and stuffed her wrench in one pocket. She pulled a small but strong grappling hook and line from her belt, hooking it to the edge of the trailer and lowering herself back down to the floor. She pulled the line in and hurriedly hid behind a stack of crates, leaning against the wooden boxes and sliding herself to the floor.

That's when she started crying. She pushed her glasses up and buried her face into her hands, sobbing. _Doc...Daddy...I wish you could be here. I knew I could never be afraid as long as you were around. I'm scared now, Daddy. I wish you were here. I need you._ Harley continued to sob for several minutes before she heard the sound of tires across the ground. She held her breath, waiting with wide, terrified eyes. Based on the shadow on the ground, a car had stopped just in the doorway of the room she hid in. She covered her mouth with her hands, not daring to breathe nor move.

"Would you come on already?" Acer's voice snapped. "She's not in there; the kid's long gone, and we got a race to get to." The car moved on, and Harley peered out to see Grem and Acer driving off. A forklift drove behind them, carrying a large white case that no doubt held the disguised camera.

Harley felt anger build up in her heart, and she glared. What was she doing? She was crying here like a scared little kid while her friends were in danger. Okay, so she was sixteen and still technically a kid. But she was raised to be strong in the face of danger, not run away from it. If Doc were here now, he'd tell her to get off her butt and do something. Lightning was going to be killed, and no doubt Mater, Finn, Holley, and Emily would soon follow. She didn't want to leave any of them behind, especially not Finn. She knew at once those electric shocks she was feeling before weren't because of static; it was because of her powers. Psyche humans could connect their mind, body, and soul to those of machines. Harley realized her powers had been doing that the entire time, involuntarily making a connection whenever she was close to Finn. She built a strong friendship with the Aston Martin, despite not knowing him for very long. Steeling her nerves, Harley wiped her eyes dry and readjusted her glasses. She nodded in determination, gathering her bravery, and skated off to sneak after the lemons.

 _I'm coming for you, guys. Just hold on._


	24. C2: Saved by the Bomb

Chapter Ten: Saved by the Bomb

Mater woke from unconsciousness to the near-deafening sound of a bell being struck. He looked around to discover he hung from a rod above him, Emily lying in his flatbed with her arms tied behind her and her ankles bound together. Mater caught sight of Finn and Holley, the two spy cars tied to a giant gear.

"Holley! Finn!" Mater called. "Where are we?"

"We're in London, Mater." Finn replied. "Inside Big Bentley."

Well, that certainly explained the giant gears and mechanisms. Mater and Emily cried out in surprise when Mater suddenly dropped, the clock's gears lowering him several yards down before jerking to a halt. Mater gulped a bit at the sight of the twisting and turning gears below him. The giant, powerful gears spelled certain, crushing doom. The giant gear Finn and Holley were tied to gave a turn, bringing them closer to an intersecting gear that would squash them flat like a boot to a bug.

Mater groaned a bit. "This is all my fault."

"Don't be foolish, Mater." Finn scolded.

"But I am, remember?" Mater protested. "You said so."

"When did I—?" Finn paused, remembering what he said to Mater before the truck went into the lemon meeting. "Oh. No, Mater, that was a compliment on what a good spy you are."

No sooner had he finished that sentence did Mater suddenly shout, _angrily_ , _"I'M NOT A SPY!"_

It was silent for a moment, Mater's shout echoing throughout the clock.

Emily shifted a bit, staring at Mater in shock. "What?"

Mater slumped down in defeat. "I've been tryin' ta tell you that the whole time. I really am just a tow truck."

"Finn, he's not joking." Holley said.

Finn sighed silently. "I know."

"You were right, Finn." Mater said. "I'm a fool. This is all my fault."

"No, it's mine." Finn said. "I'm the fool, Mater, for dragging you and Harley into all this."

Mater's eyes widened. "Harley! Oh no, where is she? I don' see 'er! Harley!"

"Mater, calm down!" Finn said hurriedly. "Harley's fine."

"Where is she?" Holley asked.

"I'm not sure." Finn admitted. "Probably still in Porto Corsa."

"How can you know if you're not sure?" Emily snapped.

Finn glared off into space. "Because I gave myself up so that she could escape. She's fine, Mater. I would never let any harm come to her." Emily, Holley, and Mater blinked in surprise, staring at Finn. They felt relieved the youngest member of their group made it out all right, but also a bit surprise by the fond tone Finn's voice took on when he talked about the girl. Finn tried to not think about Harley's terrified voice or the way she shook when she clung to him. He swallowed. "Don't worry. She's alive and unharmed."

"That's what you think!"

The spies and Mater turned to see Grem and Acer arrive on an elevator. "The kid's dead, McMissile." Acer said, smirking darkly.

Finn's eyes widened. "No. No, Zündapp promised!"

"You really think Professor Z would keep that promise? The kid knew too much." Grem laughed. "She was shot and killed right after you were taken."

Finn felt like his engine stopped running. _Harley...no...no, this can't be happening._ First Leland and now Harley? Finn felt he deserved to die now. He didn't even want to imagine the crushed look on Mater's face.

The tow truck looked absolutely mortified, feeling for a moment like he couldn't breathe. _Harley? Lil' Sissy? Dead?_ For some reason, the idea just didn't compute in his brain. He just couldn't imagine Harley shot dead.

"Now sit back and relax." Grem said. "Professor Z wanted you to have a front-row seat for the death of Lightning McQueen." Grem pushed the disguised camera out a panel opened in the clock face, aiming it towards the track where the racers would come by.

Mater and Emily yelped when Mater was suddenly lowered once more towards the gears, Finn and Holley also getting closer to the gears that would crush them. Finn hardly cared at the moment, fighting back his tears. _Harley...I'm so sorry...I failed again._

Unbeknownst to the spies and Mater, Harley was definitely still alive. She somehow managed to follow the lemons to London and into Big Bentley. While she couldn't save her friends just yet, she could sneak around the lemons to climb up to the catwalks above them and have the perfect lookout. But when she saw everyone in danger, she started getting fearful again. _Come on, Harley. You can do this. You just gotta think of a plan._ She looked out to her trapped friends and the most likely armed enemies below her. _Think of a plan...and pray to Chrysler it works._

After several minutes, Grem announced, "Here he comes."

Harley scrambled to think of an idea. _I've got to do something. But what do I have that can take out that camera?_ She patted her pockets, inspecting her belt, but nothing stood out to her and she didn't have time to experiment. Lightning was coming up fast, and Grem was powering up the camera to full strength. Harley suddenly gripped her paintball gun. _It'll at least buy me some time. They'll have to wait for another lap._ She aimed the gun towards the cars and shot, the paintball slamming into the metal at their tires. But as Harley ducked out of sight, she saw only Acer turn around and look around for the source of the paintball. Grem was still focused on the camera. _No!_ Harley mentally kicked herself. _It was supposd to be the other one!_ She held her breath, waiting to hear an explosion and the sound of screaming. She just hoped it wasn't her own when it happened.

There was a roar of engines as Lightning sped away, unharmed.

Harley exhaled silently out of pure relief, willing her heart to stop pounding so hard. _Oh thank Chrysler. If anything had happened to him, I'd never forgive myself._ Her eyes narrowed in confusion. _Wait, why didn't it work? Lightning said he would use Allinol._

"Snuck a bomb in McQueen's pit..."

"What?" Harley looked back to her trapped friends.

"Dad gum lemons!" Mater growled.

" _Request acknowledged."_ The computer said, attempting to unload Mater's gatling guns. But when he tried to fire, he found nothing came from the guns. Mater still glared, and for the first time in his life pure hatred grew inside him. But then he caught sight of the ropes around his guns a bit frayed from the friction. He quickly hid his smile.

"That's right!" Acer cackled. "You got nothin'!"

"Who's the lemon now, huh?" Grem laughed as he and Acer rode the elevator back down to the first floor.

"Nice try, Mater." Finn said.

"At least you didn't go down without a fight." Emily noted.

Mater wasn't done fighting. "Dad gum!" His guns attempted to roll out, only to be stopped by the ropes. But the twisting of the guns began to rub against the ropes and sever them. "Dad gum! Dad gum! Dad gum!" Mater repeated his usual catchphrase until the ropes snapped, sending him and Emily straight down to the gears.

"Mater!" Holley cried. Harley stared in shock, but sighed in relief when Mater managed to jump across the moving gears and land on the platforms safely.

"Well that's one way to escape certain death." Emily groaned, still tied up in Mater's flatbed. She hurriedly got to work on the ropes around her wrists.

"I gotta get y'all out of there!" Mater called, searching for a way to help Finn and Holley.

"There's no time!" Finn called. "McQueen needs your help, Mater."

"But I can't!" Mater protested. "I'm just a tow truck!"

"You're the only one who can help!" Finn urged. "Go to the pits and get everyone out. You can do that! Emily, go with him and make sure everyone gets to safety!"

Emily was hesitant, but nodded. "Can do, Finn!"

"Go and get some more dents, Mater." Holley encouraged.

Mater's eyes settled into a determined glare, and he took off for the elevator. By the time he rode it to the first floor and burst out the doors, Emily had managed to bring her arms in front of her and untie the ropes.

"Let's go, Mater!" Emily urged, standing up and hanging onto Mater's roof. "We got a bomb to find!"

Back in the clock, Holley glanced back towards Finn. "So, we have a plan to get out of here?"

"He wouldn't have left if I'd told him the truth." Finn said regrettably.

A soft _thud_ caught the cars' attention, and a familiar voice spoke up. "Why? You _are_ going to be okay."

Finn looked up and locked his aqua eyes with a pair of familiar crystal blue ones. He smiled broadly. "Harley! You're alive!"

"Harley?" Holley called, excited. "Oh thank goodness!"

"I'm fine." Harley assured. "I'm totally freaked out, but I'm good. Now hold still; I'm getting you out of here." She pulled her knife from the sheath on her ankle and began slicing the ropes tying Finn and Holley to the gear.

"No, Harley, get off this thing." Holley urged. "You'll be crushed before you can get us loose."

"She's right." Finn agreed.

"You know, I really don't think 'died because they were too noble' is a great thing to have on one's headstone." Harley said in a sassy tone, continuing to cut the ropes. "I'm not leaving you behind. Not again."

Finn grunted when the gear turned again. There was only one turn left before they were all crushed. "Being killed by a clock." He chuckled. "Gives a whole new meaning to 'Your time has come.'"

Harley rolled her eyes. "And I thought _my_ sense of humor was terrible."

"Time?" Holley blinked, looking around before spying a piece of electric machinery nearby, the machine rotating a large rod that operated the whole clock. "That's it!" She moved her wheel over just enough to pull her taser from her hubcap. She launched the wires, but they fell short and she reeled them in again.

"What're you doing?" Finn asked as Harley continued cutting the ropes.

"Trying to turn back time." Holley launched the wires of her taser, but they fell just a few inches away. The gear suddenly turned, the interlocking gear pressing painfully against Finn and Holley.

Harely fell against the interlocking gear, pushing against it to keep herself upright. "Holley, hurry!"

Holley took aim, despite the pain in her roof. "If I can just reverse the polarity." She fired one last time, and this time the taser hooks hit their mark. The resulting shock caused the gears to jerk to a halt and then go backwards, pulling Holley, Finn, and Harley away from their crushing deaths. The two cars began struggling a bit against their bonds, but Harley was quick to resume her cutting.

Holley caught sight of yet another gear, this one with spokes much sharper. "Oh no."

"Harley?" Finn called.

"Hold on!" Harley hurriedly sliced at the ropes. _Dang these guys were thorough in their tying!_ She finally cut a rope that sent all of them falling loose. _"Go!"_

Finn and Holley jumped with all their strength, Finn hooking a grappling hook around Harley's arm and pulling her along. The spy cars hit the platforms along the edge of the tower, Harley bouncing off Finn's hood and tumbling to the ground.

"You all right?" Finn asked worriedly.

"Brilliant!" Harley said with a firm nod and a smile. She jumped to her feet, sheathing her knife as she and Finn hurriedly met up with Holley.

"We've got to get to the course." Finn urged.

Holley was way ahead of him, a pair of wings appearing on either side of her along with a tailfin. "Ready!"

Finn blinked. "Oh! Miss Shiftwell."

"They're standard issue, now." Holley said with a smirk.

"Not bad." Harley laughed.

"You kids get all the good hardware." Finn said, a twinge of jealousy in his voice. The three of them moved to hurry off, but suddenly skidded to a halt at the sight of an air filter on the ground. Written on tape stuck to the filter was "If lost return to Mater."

"Oh no, that's Mater's." Holley groaned.

"I knew his escape was too easy." Finn said.

"You called that easy?" Harley asked incredulously.

"No time to explain!" Finn said. "Harley, hang on!" He unleashed one of his back grappling hooks, allowing Harley to grab hold of it so he could drag her out of the clock tower. Holley activated her jets and shot out the window of the clock, flying off. Finn sped down the streets, Harley rolling behind him like a water skiier.

* * *

Mater tore through the streets of London, not even stopping as he barreled through the gates to the racetrack.

Emily looked around before finally spying the pits. "Up there, Mater! Hurry!"

Mater nodded, picking up speed and passing several very confused pit crews as he went. Luigi noticed him first, calling his name and alerting everyone the tow truck had arrived. Mater turned and skidded to a halt outside the pit.

"Everybody, get out! Get out now!" Mater shouted. He finally noticed the rest of the Radiator Springs' residents also in the pits. "Hey what're you guys doin' here?"

"We're here because of you, Mater." Sally explained.

"Is everything okay?" Flo asked worriedly.

"No, everything's not okay!" Mater cried, serious once more. "There's a bomb in here! Y'all gotta get out! Now!"

"He's serious!" Emily piped up from her perch. "All of you need to evacuate. Now!"

" _Mater!"_ Finn's voice called over Mater's radio.

"Finn, you're okay!" Mater smiled, relieved.

" _Listen to me!"_ Finn cried urgently. _"The bomb is on_ you! _They knew you'd try to help McQueen! When we were knocked out they planted it in your air filter!"_

Mater's eyes looked to his engine and he took in a breath, holding it and popping off his filter cap to see a few blocks of C4 and a digital device attached to his engine block. Mater's eyes looked to the allinol container right next to him.

"Uh oh." Mater gulpd.

"Mater!" Lightning cried happily as he rolled up. "There you are!"

Panic swept over Mater. "Stop right there!"

"Where's Harley?" Lightning didn't seem to hear his friend as he kept coming. "Are you okay?"

Mater felt a twinge of sorrow at the sound of Harley's name, but his fear for his friend's life overtook him. "Stay away from me!" Mater suddenly reversed, driving backwards and onto the track. Emily yelped, gripping Mater's roof to make sure she didn't fall off.

"Mater!" Emily cried. "What are you doing?"

"Ya gotta get off me, Emily!" Mater urged. "I don' want ya to get hurt!"

"Mater, just calm down!" Emily said, trying to keep her voice steady despite the situation. "We've got to get that bomb off you!"

"Mater, wait!" Lightning suddenly shouted, speeding after his friend.

Mater still drove backwards as fast as he could. "If you git close to me, you gonna git hurt real bad!"

"I know I made you feel that way before, but none of that matters!" Lightning called. "Because we're best friends!"

 _The one time loyalty may prove to be our downfall._ Emily thought bitterly. "Stay back, McQueen!"

"Who the heck are you?" Lightning called, finally noticing the human woman riding his friend.

"The woman trying to keep you alive, so stay away!" Emily urged.

"She's a friend now stay back!" Mater said hurriedly.

"I'm sorry about what happened!" Lightning called. "I'm sorry I yelled at you!"

"McQueen, you don't git it!" Mater shouted, suddenly doing a 180 to drive forwards again. "I'm the bomb!"

"Yes, Mater! You _are_ the bomb!" Lightning called happily. "You've always been the bomb and you'll always be the bomb!"

"Wrong kind of bomb!" Emily called.

"Again, who the heck are you?" Lightning asked incredulously.

"Stay away!" Mater shouted.

"No! Never!" Lightning shouted, speeding up and getting closer to Mater. "I'm not letting you get away again!" He suddenly lifted a wheel and hooked Mater's tow hook under his front axle, keeping him right behind Mater.

"Gotta keep away from McQueen!" Mater muttered anxiously.

" _Request acknowledged."_ A twin set of rockets appeared out of Mater's flatbed, just behind his hook.

"Oh my gosh!" Lightning gasped.

"Oh holy—!" Emily yelped as the rockets blasted at full power, sending Mater and Lightning speeding down the racetrack. They ended up shooting past Francesco and ramming right through the makeshift wall that lined the race course.

Meanwhile, Zündapp was furiously trying to set off the bomb, slamming his tire on the detonator button several times. But Mater was now so far out of range the signal would never reach him. The German car growled, but suddenly caught sight of a purple mass floating right before the window he stood at. He gasped as Holley, now hovering in middair, glared back at him. She unloaded her pistols from her hubcaps, but Zündapp suddenly screamed in terror and smashed his way out another window. He landed in a balloon-like structure and made his way to the ground, speeding off as fast as his tires could carry him.

Finn caught sight of Zündapp as the German microcar began making a run for it. "Holley, we'll get Zündapp! You help Mater and Emily!"

"Got it!" Holley called, flying off to find the tow truck and assasin.

Finn shot into the streets of London, Harley still hanging onto the grappling hook. But when they looked ahead, Zündapp disappeared in the crowd. "Where'd he go?" Finn growled.

Harley looked all around, but couldn't find the microcar anywhere. "He must've taken another turn or something." She blinked. "Oh wait! I put a tracking device on him while I was following you guys to London! And Holley upgraded my glasses!" Harley lifted a hand to her glasses and pressed a button on one side, causing one of the lenses to pull up a translucent, digital map like Holley's computer. A blinking dot on the map caught her attention. "He's heading towards the harbor near the Tyre Bridge. Armored carrier standing by. He's trying to escape!"

"Oh I don't think so!" Finn growled, picking up speed.

Harley looked to the map and noticed there was another pathway to get to the harbor, much faster than the way Finn took. But no doubt that way would be too narrow for even Zündapp to get through...but not for her!

Finn felt his grappling hook line go slack before reeling it in quickly. "Harley?"

" _Keep going!"_ Harley's voice said over the radio. _"I'll cut him off and meet you there!"_

"Roger that!" Finn nodded, resuming his chase after Zündapp. He approached the Tyre Bridge and caught sight of Zündapp zooming underneath the bridge, heading straight towards an armored carrier sitting in the water nearby. Finn pushed himself up, leaping over the railing of the bridge and landing behind Zündapp. He kept up his pace, shooting his front two grappling hooks and catching them onto Zündapp's bumper. Finn shifted gears quickly, reversing with just enough power to stop the professor before jerking him backwards.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you float away, Professor?" Finn growled, dragging Zündapp backwards. But a strong force suddenly began pulling Zündapp and Finn forward, despite the British car's best attempts to reverse backwards. His tires squealed and smoke billowed out, but he soon discovered why he and Zündapp were being pulled forward: the armored carrier's magnet trained on them. Finn desperately kept his back wheels spinning, his front wheels he used to try and push himself backwards. But the magnet's strength managed to pull him forward still. Finn unloaded his guns, unsure if they'd still be loaded or not, but the magnet was so strong it ended up tearing the weapons off him. It even took the last of his missiles when he tried to fire those and Zündapp's monocle. The armored carrier's large gun suddenly raised from the bow of the carrier, the targeting laser placed right at Finn's hood. The carrier fired a blast, forcing Finn to jump to avoid it. He was forced to do it again as another blast incinerated the stone he once rested on. But he kept his hooks onto Zündapp.

"Give it up, McMissile!" Zündapp shouted.

 _Not a chance._ Finn could only growl, determined to not lose his catch. But even if he could dodge all of the carrier's blasts, he would be captured and killed in an instant if the magnet got him.

A movement caught his eye, and Finn looked up in surprise to see Harley shooting up into the air from the road above. She pulled her legs in to an almost crouching position, a Frisbee-like object in one hand. She shouted in effort and threw the disc with excellent precision, the device sticking to the carrier's gun. A split-second later, the device exploded and took the gun with it. Harley spun in the air and jammed her skates against the windshield of the carrier, scratching it as she slid down. The carrier shouted in pain as Harley skated across the bow of the boat before jumping off the edge, flipping and spinning and landing perfectly on her skates again. She rolled back to Finn's side and screeched to a halt.

"Ha!" Harley laughed. But she yelped when the magnet suddenly became attracted to the metal in her skates, and she was pulled off her feet. Luckily, she managed to catch Finn's tire and held on tightly. _Okay, that was smoother and a whole lot cooler in my head._ Harley kept a tight grip on Finn's tire, and Fin made sure to keep her close. But the magnet still pulled them along. "Finn? Now what?"

Finn's mind raced, and when he saw his tires he got an idea. He opened up the panel in his hubcaps to release the magnetic explosives, allowing the carrier's magnet to take whatever he had left. "Duck and cover, Harley!" The girl quickly obeyed the spy, curling up and burying her head into Finn's tire. Through his broken windshield, the carrier looked to see the magnetic explosives blinking rapidly, and his eyes widened.

 _KA-BOOM!_


	25. C2: Solving the Mission

Chapter Eleven: Solving the Mission

"Mater, you've got to stop!" Emily cried as Mater raced through the London streets.

"Mater, stop!" Holley chimed in as she flew overhead.

"No way!" Mater protested. "You could git hurt!"

"Lemons at twelve!" Emily yelped. Mater was about to ask what she meant when he suddenly noticed Grem and Acer coming right towards them with guns drawn and ready to fire. Emily whipped out one of her pistols and fired a few warning shots, but the two lemons kept coming. Emily groaned and jumped out of Mater, hanging onto one of his mirrors before planting a foot in his fender and forcing him to make a hard turn to a more deserted street. Suddenly, Holley swooped in from above and scooped one of her wings under Grem's and Acer's fronts, sending the two cars flying through the air and crashing into a local bar. Though it was a little evil, Holley couldn't help but smirk at the sound of the two cars getting beat up in the bar.

Mater, finally seeing the danger passed, skidded a halt and put his rockets away. _That was too close._

Emily jumped down, finally realizing she still didn't have her boots on but ignoring it for now. She sighed heavily in relief, leaning on Mater a bit. "Oh sweet land! I am _never_ riding you again."

Lightning unhooked himself from Mater and came around to stare at the human woman. " _Now_ will you tell me who you are?"

"Agent Emily Largo. Pleased to meet you." Emily said simply, staring at the bomb attached to Mater. Luckily, the remote only said "Remote On," meaning the bomb hadn't been activated yet.

"Agent? Like insurance agent?" Lightning asked. Emily rolled her eyes.

Holley finally landed before Mater, scanning the bomb to analyze it. "Mater, hold still so we can get that bomb off you."

"Bomb?" Lightning asked, staring in shock and confusion. He finally caught sight of the explosive attached to his best friend.

"Yeah, they strapped it to me to kill you as a backup plan." Mater explained.

"Backup plan?" Lightning asked, even more confused. But he pushed it aside for now, a bit angry someone tried to hurt his friend. "Mater, who put a bomb on you?"

"Mater! Lightning!"

The two mentioned cars turned to see a familiar brunette skating up to them, Finn still a ways behind her. Mater's face lit up in excitement. "Harley! Yer alive!"

"Mater!" Harley gasped, hugging the tow truck before hugging Lightning too. "Oh my gosh, I was so worried about the both of you! Are you all right?" She suddenly caught sight of the bomb strapped to Mater. "Holy Chrysler."

Finn finally managed to shove a now-tied up Zündapp forward, and the three spies of the group glared hard at the German microcar. Zündapp saw Lightning and glared. "You!" Harley moved protectively between Zündapp and her friends, thankful Finn was keeping him back. Zündapp still growled. "Why didn't my death ray kill you?!"

"Death ray?!" Lightning repeated, looking to Harley and Mater for an explanation.

"Long story. We'll catch you up later." Harley said simply.

"Turn off the bomb, Zündapp!" Finn ordered.

"Are you all so dense?" Zündapp droned. "It's voice activated. Everything is voice activated these days."

"Deactivate! Deactivate!" Mater cried hurriedly.

The remote on the bomb buzzed. _"Voice denied."_ A timer suddenly appeared, giving Mater only five minutes before the bomb went off.

"Oops." Zündapp said with fake sheepishness. "That's right. It can only be disarmed by the one who activated it."

Holley rolled up, taser armed. "Say it."

"Deactivate." Zündapp replied without hesitation, confusing everyone until the remote said "Voice denied" and lopped a full minute off the timer.

"Don't say it! Don't say it!" Harley yelped, staring at Mater worriedly.

"I'm not the one who put it on him." Zündapp sneered. "Would anyone else like to try?" He convulsed into spasms as Holley tazed him, sending him collapsing to the ground.

"You read my mind." Finn smirked.

"He was getting on my nerves." Holley groaned as she put the taser away.

"What do we do?" Lightning asked worriedly. He had a hunch his friends were in trouble, but he never imagined it would be at this level. Harley stared at Mater worriedly, her eyes flickering back and forth between her brother and the bomb.

Before anyone could suggest anything, a voice said. "It's very simple. You blow up." Spinning around, the group found every roadway blocked by the Pacer, Hugo, Trunkov, and Gremlin family heads along with their henchmen. Even Ivan the tow truck and his human mechanic were there, along with several human guards.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here. These are the guys that want me dead, correct?" Lightning asked as everyone backed up.

"Yeah, but you _did_ ruin their plans for world domination." Harley said. "And if any of you come near him, I'll rip your undercarriage out!"

"You and what army?" Ivan laughed, causing laughter amongst the other evil cars too.

Suddenly, a powerful stream of water washed away several of the Gremlin cars, sending their boss into the bushes.

"Red!" Harley cheered at the sight of the fire truck and Sally. Four of the lemons tried to surround Finn, but he launched his grappling hooks and pulled them all together in a collision. Holley reversed from two of the lemons coming towards her, activating her jet mode and smashing two more cars into her attackers. Emily easily took out the humans that lunged for her, placing firm kicks and punches to each one and even flipping the last one over her shoulder. Harley noticed a lemon and one of the human guards rush towards her, but she whipped out her paintball gun and shot both of them in the eyes and windshield. She jumped over the incoming lemon, causing the blind car to ram into a wall instead of her, while she spun her wrench in one hand and slammed it against the human guard's face to force him to the ground. A couple lemons lunged for her, but suddenly found their wheels falling off.

"Peet stop." Guido huffed triumphantly. Flo approached the Trunkov and flashed her headlights, blinding him long enough for Sheriff to slap a parking boot on him like he did with many of the other lemons. Guido shouted in Italian as he shoved several of the henchmen aside. Ivan lunged for Lightning, but Mater shot forward and knocked the blue tow truck aside. He swung around and smacked two lemon henchmen away as they approached. The human mechanic with Ivan ran towards Mater, but Harley skated up and landed a solid punch to the young man's face before spinning and kicking him aside. Mater gave a mighty yell and hooked his tow cable under the lead Pacer's jaw, throwing him aside and towards Ramone. The Impala slashed his paint can across the Pacer, leaving a trail of purple paint across the smaller car's windshield and hood. The remaining lemons stared in shock at their opponents: three master spies, a police sheriff, and pretty much the entire town of Radiator Springs (made up of vehicles and a girl who seeemed to be off their rockers), all ready to pound them into a pulp.

"Retreat!" Pacer shouted, encouraging the remaining lemons to speed away down the road. But they skidded to a halt when they rounded the corner and discovered a small army of British military vehicles in their path, complete with helicopters and all of them training their weapons on the evil cars.

Harley smirked proudly and twirled her paintball gun, sticking it into her belt. "Now _that's_ how we do things in Radiator Springs."

* * *

Everyone watched anxiously as the clock continued to tick down on the bomb. The timer read 2:39 already. Mater stood in the middle of the intersection with Luigi, Guido, Lightning, and Harley while everyone else stayed behind blockades a safe distance away. Finn, Holley, Emily, and Sheriff were talking to several Scotland Yard officers about Zündapp and the other lemons.

Harley strained and pushed with all her might, but her wrench couldn't unscrew the bolts attaching the bomb to her beloved brother. "It's no use!" she groaned. "The bolts are too tight for a hand wrench; we need a drill."

Guido had been working on that for a while, but when he tried to unscrew the bolts his drill made a strange grinding sound. He glared at the tool for a moment before shouting in Italian and throwing it down, kicking it aside as he drove off with crossed forks.

"What's he saying?" Lightning asked worriedly.

"None of his wrenches fit the bolts." Luigi replied sadly. Lightning paled a bit, if it were possible for a car. If they couldn't get that bomb off, Mater was going to die.

Harley growled in frustration. "Damn those stupid Whitworth—" She froze, her eyes wide. Mater's eyes went wide as well. "...bolts..."

Time seemed to slow down as Harley's brain worked into overdrive. How could Zündapp have known that when allinol was hit with an electromagnetic pulse, it would explode? That's an awfully specific thing to find out about a fuel source, and what were the odds it would happen in a normal setting? How could he have found it in time to make a pulse emitifyer and disguise it as a World Grand Prix camera? He would've needed to know about it for much longer than it would've taken for Miles to organize the race. But what about those spare parts from the picture? Why were they all British parts? Why was the Lemon Kingpin at the secret meeting in Porto Corsa only until the end of the race? What kind of oil did Harley slip in at the Tokyo party?

Harley looked to Mater. He had a look of realization on his face. "Mater? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh yeah!" Mater said. "I know what needs ta be done."

"Then do it!" Lightning urged.

"What? No, I can't do it." Mater protested. "Nobody will take me seriously. This ain't Radiator Springs."

"Yes, it is." Lightning said firmly, with a warm smile on his face. "Look, you're yourself in Radiator Springs. Be yourself here. And if people aren't taking you seriously, then they need to change, not you. I know that because I was wrong before." He looked to Harley. "Family comes first." Harley smiled proudly and nodded. Lightning looked back to Mater. "You can do this. You're the bomb."

"Thanks, buddy." Mater said with a smile.

"No, you're the _actual_ bomb!" Lightning reminded him. "Now let's go!"

"Oh, right!" Mater swung his tow cable around, hooking under Lightning's front axle. "Harley, let's go!"

"Right!" Harley nodded, hopping into Mater's flatbed. Mater drove off, dragging McQueen behind him as he smashed his way through the risers.

Mater stared straight ahead with a determined glare. "Computer!"

" _Yes, Agent Mater?"_

"I need that thing you done before to git me away from McQueen!" Mater said.

" _Request acknowledged."_

Mater's rockets activated again, propelling him along much faster than before. Lightning looked ahead to see they were shooting right towards a building. "Mater?" Lightning called worriedly.

"Now I need you to do the chute!" Mater told the computer. "The second kind, not the first!"

" _Deploying chute."_

A bright orange parachute shot up, carrying Mater, Lightning, and Harley high into the air. Mater managed to steer himself through the air, flying over buildings and avoiding towers.

"Mater!" Harley called over the wind. "Keep in mind that if we're both thinking the same thing, then our answer to this mission is based on a huge hunch that's surrounded by circumstantial evidence!"

"So?" Mater asked.

"What if we're wrong?" Harley asked.

Mater glared straight ahead. "We're not."

Harley smirked. "Good."

* * *

Mater finally touched down at the platform before the Queen of England herself and the rest of the audience before the race course. His rockets and chute disappeared just as the guards rolled forward and began barking at them to stay back.

"It's Lightning McQueen!" the Queen said excitedly. The guards continued shouting.

"No, it's okay!" Lightning assured as he rolled in front of his friend. Harley jumped out of Mater's flatbed to stand beside him. Lightning looked to his friends.

"It's all right, we mean you no harm." Harley assured.

"Yeah, tell them, guys." Lightning urged.

"Mater?" Harley offered.

Mater nodded. "Somebody's been sabotagin' the racers and hurtin' the cars, and I know who. Oh, wait. Yer Majesty." He gave a gracious bow, only to reveal the bomb still strapped to him.

"Bomb!" one of the guards shouted, the rest of the black Range Rovers unloaded their pistols. Their shouts caused instant mass panic as most of the spectators near the track suddenly took off. The Radiator Springs' residents, finally catching up, stood on the race track and watched in shock and concern.

"Yes, because mass hysteria is _so_ what we needed right now!" Harley shouted sarcastically. "Thank you!"

"Hold your fire!" Finn suddenly shouted as he screeched to a halt on the stage. "He can't disarm it! Mater, I don't know what you're doing, but stand down now!" Emily and Holley approached, standing behind the police cars and staring at the scene with wide eyes.

"This ain't nothin' at all like Radiator Springs." Mater told Lightning as the police surrounded them.

"Mater, just cut to the chase." Lightning urged.

"Okay." Mater nodded. "It's him." He pointed to Miles Axlerod, still on the stage.

"Good, we're on the same page." Harley cracked her knuckles. "Let's beat 'im up."

"What? Me?" Miles chuckled.

"I figured it out when I realized y'all attached this ticking time bomb with Whitworth bolts – the same bolts that hold together that old British engine from the photograph." Mater explained. "Holley! Show that picture!"

"Okay." Though confused, Holley rolled forward and pulled up the engine picture on her computer.

"And then I remembered what they say about old British engines: if there ain't no oil under 'em, there ain't no oil in 'em." Mater said.

"What is he talking about?" Miles demanded.

"It was you leaking oil at the party in Japan." Mater declared, him and Harley beginning to roll closer to Miles. "You just blamed it on me."

"Electric cars don't use oil, you twit." Miles snapped.

"Then yer fakin' it." Mater reasoned. "You didn't convert to no electric."

"But how do you know?" Emily asked.

"Miles is a Range Rover L322. Though extremely modified, his original design in his year of building would include an engine identical to or very similar to the one from that photograph." Harley explained. "That being the case, he would need a lot more than a few solar panels and some fancy wiring to get enough electricity to power him properly."

"And what would you know about something like that?" Miles scoffed.

"Much more than you think." Harley assured.

"Oh please, you're nothing but a foolish child." Miles snapped, backing up as Mater and Harley came closer.

"Why don't we prove it?" Harley offered. "Right here, right now."

"If we pop that hood, we gonna see that engine from that picture right there." Mater said.

"This lorry's crazy!" Miles shouted to the police. "He's gonna kill us all!" He stopped when one of his back tires hit open air, and he realized with a start he had backed up to the edge of the platform.

"But Sir Miles created the race, Mater." Holley protested. "What would he gain by hurting the racers?"

"He'd make allinol look bad so everybody'd go back to usin' oil." Mater said. "He said it himself with that dee-sguised voice."

"'Dee-sguised voice'?" Miles scoffed.

"He means 'disguised'." Harley droned. "You twit."

"What are you talking about?" Miles demanded. "You're nuts, you are!"

"This is going nowhere fast." Prince Wheeliam said to the Queen. "We really should go, Grandmother."

"One moment." The monarch replied. "I'd like to see where this is going."

The timer only had thirty seconds left.

"Mater, he _created_ allinol." Finn protested.

"Well, what if he's the one who created it to make it explode?" Harley noted.

"And what if he found that huge oil field just as the world was tryin' ta find somethin' else?" Mater added, glaring at Miles. "What if he came up with allinol just to make alternative fuel look bad?"

18 seconds.

"'What if?'" Miles growled, his escape route blocked by the tow truck. "You're basing this on a 'what if'?"

One of the guards began ordering eveyrone out, escorting the rest of the civilians and the royalty to safety. Only Lightning, Holley, Emily, and Finn stayed in their spots, staring at the confrontation between Miles and Mater and Harley.

"Wait, somebody save me!" Miles shouted. "The lorry's crazy!"

"You wanna live?" Harley snapped. "Shut off the bomb."

"You're _both_ crazy!" Miles exclaimed. "Keep away, you idiots!"

"Mater!" Finn called warningly.

"Harley!" Emiliy called.

8 seconds.

"Mater!" Holley cried worriedly. Lightning stared with wide eyes, praying he didn't have to watch his friend blow up.

"Someone do something!" Miles shouted in desperation.

"You're in control, Axlerod." Harley said. "Make the choice."

5 seconds.

Harley was suddenly struck with a terrifying thought: what if Miles didn't shut off the bomb?

4 seconds.

"You're insane, you are!" Miles shouted at Mater.

3

Harley suddenly felt someone grab her ankle and pull her backwards, forcing her to the ground. She looked up to see Finn suddenly put himself between her and Mater, him and everyone else bracing for the explosion. Harley held her breath.

2

" _Deactivate!"_ Miles screamed.

Just as the timer hit 1, the remote beeped. _"Bomb deactivated. Have a nice day, Sir Miles Axlerod."_

Harley grinned as she stood up, laughing a bit. Mater smirked proudly, seeming to enjoy Miles hyperventilating as two police cars pulled up on either side of him. Mater swung his tow hook around and caught the edge of Miles' hood, pulling it up to reveal an old engine underneath.

"How did the tow truck figure it out?" Miles scoffed.

"Because he's the coolest tow truck in the world." Harley said, lightly punching Mater's fender.

"It's official." Lighting smiled as he approached Mater. "You're coming to _all_ my races from now on."

"Now yer talkin'!" Mater smiled broadly the two of them bumping tires.


	26. C2: Forever Friends

**A/N: And so, the finale of Part Three! Next, we move into the** _ **Planes**_ **arc. In Part Four, we'll meet my new OC who could use a lesson in family. Unfortunately, her teacher is a reclusive Navy commander who isn't sure he knows the concept himself.**

 **Until then, enjoy this final chapter of the** _ **Cars 2**_ **arc!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Forever Friends

Mater made the funniest and wildest faces he could muster, but the guard he stood before was just as stoic as ever.

Harley laughed. "Mater, they're not going to move anytime soon."

"Let's go." Lightning encouraged with a chuckle. "You're on." The three of them rolled through the large double doors of the palace hall, passing by an entire crowd of spectators that included Finn, Holley, Emily, and all of the Radiator Springs' folks.

"Your Majesty," a Duke at the head of the room announced. "May I present for the investiture of honorary knighthood of the British Realm Tow Mater and Harley Hudson of Radiator Springs."

"Go get 'em, guys." Lightning encouraged, standing with the rest of the Radiator Springs' residents. Mater and Harley rolled up to the front of the room, standing before the Queen of England herself. Harley felt herself going shy again, but she and Mater bowed respectfully.

The Queen rolled up a long antennae from her fender, tapping it on Mater's fenders and Harley's shoulders. "I hereby dub thee Sir Tow Mater and Lady Harley Hudson." Cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Sir? Shoot, you can just call me Mater, Yer Majesty." Mater told the monarch. "I don't wanna hear none of this 'sir' business."

"And just Harley, for me." Harley said with a kind smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Yes, but Lady Harley seems to roll off the tongue so nicely." Finn teased as he nudged the girl playfully. Harley giggled.

"By the way, have y'all met each other?" Mater rolled back as Lightning came forward. "The Queen, McQueen. McQueen, the Queen. McQueen, McMissile. McMissile, McQueen. The Queen, McMissile."

The Queen laughed softly. "You are very lucky, Lady Harley. You have quite an amazing truck for a brother."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Harley said with a bow. She smiled at Mater. "He is pretty amazing."

* * *

When everyone returned home, Ramone repainted the sign outside of town to read "Welcome to Raditator Springs...Home of Lightning McQueen and Sir Tow Mater and Lady Harley Hudson" along with pictures of Mater and Harley. Life seemed to go back to normal after the trip, with the exception of Mater's stories from the mission. Whether or not people actually believed them was a whole nother story. Harley opted to not tell her side. But she went straight to Doc's grave to tell him the entire mission. The girl had certainly grown braver because of the trip, even if she refused to admit how terrified she became now and then (especially in Porto Corsa).

Harley stood at the café, listening to Mater tell the story yet again to some travelers.

"That's a very entertaining story, young man." A lavender minivan told the tow truck.

"Oh, Minny, please!" her husband rolled his eyes. "None of this happened. Rocket jets, flying spy cars—"

"No, you're quite right!" Everyone jumped and looked up to see a purple Jaguar flying in and landing on the street outside the café. "It _does_ sound a bit far-fetched." Holley said as she deactivated her jet mode.

"Like something out of a James Bond movie." Emily agreed as she hopped off Holley's roof.

"Hey Emily!" Harley waved.

"Holley!" Mater greeted warmly. "What're you doin' here?"

"Hello, Mater!" Holley greeted warmly. "It's so good to see you again."

"Nice to see you seem to be staying out of trouble." Emily noted as a familiar Aston Martin drove up beside his comrades-in-arms.

"Finn!" Mater greeted.

"Hey Finn!" Harley greeted with a warm smile. "Not that we aren't glad to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Our satellites picked up an urgent communiqué." Finn explained.

"So you got-a my email." Luigi piped up.

"Ah man, y'all is goin' ta have a great time!" Mater said excitedly. "Everybody! This here's Finn McMissile and Emily Largo. They're secret agents. Don't tell nobody!"

Harley giggled. "Don't worry." She told the spies. "It's a small town."

"And this is Holley Shiftwell." Mater turned to the Jaguar. "She's—"

"I'm Mater's girlfriend. It's so nice to meet you all." Holley interrupted with a smile, her proclaimation making everyone stare in shock while Mater and Harley just smiled broadly.

Guido's forks dropped to the ground in astonishment. "Guido believe you now." Luigi said.

Harley nudged Mater with her elbow playfully. "You got game, dude." Mater only smirked proudly.

"You know, there's one thing I still don't get." Lightning piped up. "The bad guys hit me with the beam from the camera, right? So, why didn't I, you know..."

"Explode in a fiery inferno?" Mater asked. It came out as a joke, but he would always remember the terrified feeling he got when he thought Lightning was about to die.

"Yeah." Lightning nodded.

"I've been wondering that too." Harley agreed.

"We couldn't figure that one out, either." Finn admitted.

"Our investigation proved that allinol was actually gasoline, and Axlerod engineered it so when it got hit by the beam, it would explode." Holley explained.

"And we saw you get hit with that beam, and you were the only car in that entire race using allinol." Emily added.

Lightning realized something. "Wait a second, Fillmore. You said my fuel was safe." Everyone turned to stare at the hippie Volkswagen van.

Fillmore glanced around at everyone staring at him. "If you're implying that I switched out that rot-gut excuse for alternative fuel with my all-natural, sustainable, organic biofuel just because I never trusted Axlerod, you're dead wrong, man." He grinned as he gestured to Sarge beside him. "It was him."

Sarge glanced at everyone. "Once big oil, always big oil...man."

"Tree hugger." Fillmore teased.

"Whoa, whoa, time out." Harley held up her hands. "When did you switch out Speed Racer's fuel?"

Sarge thought for a moment. "First race in Japan."

Harley stared in shock, then glared. "So he was _never_ using allinol in the entire World Grand Prix?"

"No." Fillmore confirmed.

Harley was fuming now. "So I was worried sick, literally thought I was going to throw up, about Speed Racer getting killed and you never thought to tell me you switched out his fuel?!"

Sarge and Fillmore realized their mistake. "It was his idea." Sarge said, gesturing to Fillmore.

"What?" Fillmore gulped a bit.

If it were possible, smoke would be coming from Harley's ears, she was so mad. "You both have three seconds to live."

"Bye!" Sarge and Fillmore suddenly took off, Harley skating after them and shouting death threats.

"We need her in the agency." Finn mused.

"Indeed." Holley giggled.

When Harley finally managed to calm down and forgive Sarge and Fillmore, everyone gathered around the race track made up of Route 66 and the town's street. Since the World Grand Prix turned out to be a scam, Lightning invited the racers to particpate in a recreational race he dubbed the Radiator Springs Grand Prix. Francesco ended up enjoying the idea, for once agreeing with Lightning on something: no press, no trophy, just racing. He even got a chance to meet Sally, and caught sight of a sticker Lightning made that read "Ka-Ciao, Francesco." Though the two racecars made their jibes, it was clear a sort of subtle friendship bond had formed between them.

Soon, the racers were taking off across the roads. The Radiator Springs' residents joined the spectators at Willie's Butte, cheering for Lightning as he and the racers passed. Harley, Mater, Finn, Holley, and Emily were off to one side, watching the race and offerng their own cheers.

Holley heard her commuincator beep. "Finn? Siddeley's gassed, geared, and ready to fly."

Finn looked back to discover the jet had landed just several hundred feet away. "Good. One moment please." He drove off, leaving his companions to stare after him in confusion. He returned a few minutes later carrying something on his hood. "I did make a promise, Harley. And the rest of your things are already at your home."

Harley nearly squealed. "My jacket!" She took the piece of clothing from Finn, hugging it to her chest. "Oh, thank you so much!" But she blinked in surprise when she felt something hard in her jacket, and she reached into one of the pockets to wrap her fingers around something round and metal. Pulling it out, she discovered it was the bullet casing from Finn's gun, the one she found in Tokyo, only now there was a chain looped through it. Harley looked to Finn.

"If you're looking for interesting souvenirs." Finn said with a smile.

Harley giggled, pulling the new necklace around her neck so the bullet casing hit her chest. "Thanks, Finn."

"I know I said friendships are dangerous in our line of work, but I will admit that I am ever thankful you and Mater are my friends, Harley." Finn said. Harley's smile grew, and she hugged the Aston Martin. The spy car chuckled and leaned into her embrace. They each felt that shock again. It was unclear what it meant, but they didn't mind.

"You're the best." Harley said, pulling away. Finn smiled in thanks.

"I hate to break up the love fest, but I believe we have somewhere to be." Emily noted regretfully, gesturing towards Siddeley as the jet plane waited patiently.

"Yer leavin' already?" Mater asked, a bit sad.

"We've got another mission, Mater." Finn explained. "Just stopped by here to pick something up." He cast looks to Harley and Mater.

"So, not the souvenir bumper stickers?" Mater guessed.

"Her Majesty asked for you two personally." Finn told Mater and Harley.

"But we're not spies." Mater reminded them.

"We know." Holley assured.

"And you realized I'm still just a kid?" Harley noted.

"Yep." Emily nodded.

"Spies or not, the two of you are still the smartest, most honest chaps we've ever met." Finn said.

"Don't forget massively charming." Holley said, looking to Mater.

"And quite scary when angry." Emily looked to Harley here. Harley giggled.

"Well, thanks." Mater said. He looked to his Radiator Springs family. "But this is home. I don't think I kin leave again so soon."

"What about you, Harley?" Emily asked. "We could use your brawn."

"I think you've got enough of that already." Harley said with a wide smile. She sighed as she followed Mater's gaze. "I've been away from home long enough. I think I ought to stick around for a while."

"That's all right." Holley assured. "But I'll be back. You still owe me that first date, Mater."

"And _you_ still owe me for what happened at the airport in Japan." Harley told Finn, nudging him playfully.

"All right." Finn nodded. "You got it."

"And Emily, maybe you can bring family dinner to Radiator Springs sometime." Harley offered.

"Really?" Emily asked with a warm smile. "I'd like that."

"If there's ever anything I can do for you two, just let me know." Finn told Mater and Harley.

"Well, I sure appreciate that. Thank you." Mater nodded. "Actually, there is _one_ thing."

"Uh oh." Harley rolled her eyes.

* * *

" _Whoo-hoo!"_ Mater laughed as he rocketed down the road to catch up with the racers. His rocket boosters were on full blast as he snagged Otis from the side of the road and dropped him off at Ramone's. Harley whooped and laughed from her spot in Mater's flatbed, hanging onto his roof as he sped along.

"I can't believe Finn let you keep these things!" Harley laughed.

"He let ya keep yer glasses!" Mater pointed out, continuing to laugh as he sped along. Harley couldn't deny that; Holley had graciously allowed her to keep the tech enhancements on her eyeglasses. Soon enough, they were able to catch up to Lightning on the road.

"Mater!" Lightning blinked in surprise, a wide smile on his face.

"Hey Speed Racer!" Harley called over the wind.

"Look who's talking!" Lightning laughed.

"They let me keep the rockets!" Mater replied, showing said rockets to Lightning.

"I'll see you at the finish line, buddy!" Lightning said, speeding up.

"Not if I see you first!" Mater whooped as he sped up, keeping side-by-side with Lightning as they raced through Route 66.

Harley looked up to see Siddeley flying off, taking their spy friends with him. She smiled broadly, holding the bullet casing on her necklace. _See ya, Finn. Come back soon._

THE END


	27. Pre-P: Battle of Words

**A/N: Welcome to the** _ **Planes**_ **arks and the second half of the entire story! I am so happy the first half was enjoyed. I succeeded in making Harley a fully fleshed-out character and didn't run into any Mary Sue problems (which I sometimes struggle with). Here's to the hope I do the same with the** _ **Planes**_ **stories.**

 **So this Part Four actually takes place before the** _ **Planes**_ **plotline, labeled in the chapter drop box as Pre-P. Summary: She's a girl scarred by a simple action that left her without parents. He's a plane scarred by a simple command that nearly cost him his life. Misery may enjoy company, but putting these two in the same room is the worst idea anyone could think of. Has Sparky finally lost it, or is he on to something by bringing them together?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **How To Be Loved**

Chapter One: Battle of Words

 _I am ten years old. My skin is white, without any tan color or freckles. I guess people call that Caucasian, whatever that means. My hair is black, the color of an unlucky cat. And yes, I was naturally born with that color hair. Yes, I was naturally born with blue-green eyes that are really just a swirled blend of blue and green coloring, not a combination of the two colors. They aren't because of color contacts or hair dye. So there._

 _My name is Skylar Amelia Doe. My friends call me "Sky," but only ONE person has the right to call me that. I know what you're thinking. "Doe? Like the deer?" No, like the name they give to people who don't have a last name. That's me. I don't have a last name. I'm an orphan. Got a problem with that?_

 _I'm a psyche human. I have powers normal humans don't get. If you have a problem with that, I'll put my fist in your teeth._

 _The end_

The maroon Volkswagen GTI looked up from the notebook she read from to stare at the book's owner. 10-year-old Skylar Amelia "Sky" Doe stared back, her pitch black hair pulled into twin braids and her blue-green eyes boring holes into the Volkswagen's windshield. She dressed simply: red and white sneakers, dark blue overalls, and a long-sleeved red shirt.

"Well, Skylar, why don't we get started?" the Volkswagen offered kindly.

"Sure, whatever, Mrs. Getty." Sky huffed.

"Good." Mrs. Getty said, keeping a smile on her face. "Let's start with this first paragraph. You explain your physical features in creative detail, specifically that it's all natural. Any particular reason for clarifying that?"

"Because people have thought otherwise. Duh." Sky replied bitterly.

"Why's that?"

"I don't know. I guess my eye and hair color combination is so weird people feel the need to doubt it's all real."

"And does it bother you that people don't think it's real?"

"I don't give a flying Fairchild's aft what they think."

Mrs. Getty decided to ignore Sky's subtle bad language for now. "All right. So let's go on to the last paragraph now. You're really a psyche human?"

"Yeah." Sky said simply.

"Have you ever punched someone because they tried to make fun of you for it?"

"Not recently."

"Why do you feel you need to solve such problems with violence?"

"I've tried talking and it didn't work. Punching them got my point across."

"Have you tried telling a teacher about the kids giving you trouble?"

"Duh."

"Not everyone tries that first, Skylar dear."

Silence.

"This middle paragraph is most concerning. Are you ever teased for being an orphan?"

"I am _not_ talking about that."

"Skylar, it's my job to help children like you. I can't do that unless you tell me what's going on."

Sky stared at the car before her. "Mrs. Getty, do you know what you are?"

Mrs. Getty blinked. "The school counselor?"

Sky shook her head. "You're a Volkswagen GTI. And I'll bet nobody has a problem with that. People accept that about you. You are loved despite what you are." Sky leaned forward a bit, glaring hatefully. "You have _no idea_ what it's like to be in my situation."

Mrs. Getty stared. It was silent for a moment before she sighed. "May I offer some advice?"

"You _are_ the school counselor." Sky rolled her eyes.

"You said in your journal entry here that only one person is allowed to call you 'Sky.'" Mrs. Getty noted. "Is this a close friend of yours?" Sky shrugged. "Well, then why don't you spend some time with them? Go spend the weekend at a park or spending the night or something. Maybe it'll take your mind off things."

"I'll ask." Sky shrugged again. "He kinda lives far away. The town's so tiny it's not even on the map."

"As long as you can find a moment to enjoy yourself." Mrs. Getty said. "I think it could be emotionally helpful for you."

Sky rolled her eyes with a small scoff of disgust. "Yeah, sure."

Mrs. Getty sighed. _Well, this session's over._ "You should probably head back to class now." Sky silently rose from her chair and snatched her journal from Mrs. Getty's desk, marching out the door. She moved down the halls of the school briskly, ignoring the taunts and giggles from the girls around her and resisting the urge to punch them. But she did bark violent threats at them when they came too close, smirking in satisfaction when they backed off in fear. She finally reached her classroom and plopped down at her desk, stuffing her journal into the desk and waiting for the rest of the class to return from lunch.

The day dragged on. At least to Sky it felt like it did. Her resentment of her fellow classmates seemed to grow, if it were possible, as the day wore on and the other kids kept pelting her with crumpled up pieces of paper and paper airplanes. She was so ready to go back to the orphanage when her teacher called her to stay behind.

"You don't have to get to a bus, do you?" the teacher, a human woman, asked.

"No, Mrs. Johnson." Sky said in a bored drawl. "I walk."

"Good. I need to speak with you about something important." Mrs. Johnson said, trying to sound serious yet sympathetic for the girl before her. "It's about your grades. You've been receiving very low marks this entire school year. In fact, I'm afraid you're failing in your schoolwork."

"How do you fail the fourth grade?" Sky demanded.

"You're not the only one I've seen do it." Mrs. Johnson assured. "It's not common, but not unheard of."

"What's your point?" Sky huffed.

Mrs. Johnson knew from past experience it was useless to beat around the bush with the raven-haired girl. "Skylar, unless you do perfectly on your final paper, I'm afraid you'll be held back a year."

"What?" Sky snapped. "Held back? Like stupid people?"

"Your grades are not reflecting your potential." Mrs. Johnson explained calmly. "If you can write a perfect essay for our final class project, I can pass you and allow you to move on. Remember? The topic for our essays is 'My Hero.'"

Sky snorted. "Small problem there: I don't _have_ a hero."

"No one to look up to?" Mrs. Johnson asked. "Not even another student?"

"No." Sky said bluntly.

"Well, that's all right. Not everyone does." Mrs. Johnson shrugged. "Why don't you write about someone who has a heroic profession?"

"Well what exactly is a 'heroic profession'?" Sky demanded.

"Someone who saves lives, perhaps." Mrs. Johnson suggested. "Maybe a firefighter or a soldier."

Sky rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll think about it." She turned on her heel and walked off, ignoring the jeers from her fellow fourth graders as she exited the school. She kept her glower as she journeyed back to the orphanage, walking the four blocks' worth of sidewalk it took to reach the large house that served as the orphanage in Sterling, Minnesota. It wasn't a very large city, but large enough to include suburban areas, a downtown district, and the possibility of getting lost if one didn't know their way around. Sky bounced up the steps and pushed open the door. She paused as two forklift and three human children went shooting past her, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm back!"

The head of the orphanage, a human Hispanic woman, paused as she was walking down the hall. "Hello, _chica!_ How was school?"

"Bloody brilliant, Rosa. Thanks for asking." Sky droned, marching up the stairs to her room. She slammed the door shut behind her, tossing her backpack on her bed and sitting at her desk. She stared out her window to the large backyard, where most of the orphan children played. She groaned, hitting her head against her desk. "Stupid assignment. Stupid school." She sighed. "Stupid life."

" _This is Sparkplug to Soarin' Sky! Come in, Sky!"_

Sky smiled broadly as the radio on her desk crackled to life, and she hurriedly pushed her chair closer to it. She pressed the talk button. "This is Soarin' Sky. Hey Sparky!"

" _Hey there, Sky!"_ Sparky's voice came from the radio. _"How's it goin'?"_

"Eh, all right." Sky shrugged. "How are things in Propwash Junction?"

" _Just fine."_ Sparky said.

"I really miss you." Sky said.

" _You get my letters, right?"_

"Yeah, but no letter can replace your voice."

Sparky laughed. _"Aw, thanks kiddo. How's school?"_

Sky rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don't even mention it."

" _Why? What's wrong?"_ Sparky asked worriedly.

"My dumb teacher is making me write this report about my hero." Sky explained. "I don't even _have_ a hero. So I gotta find someone with a quote-unquote 'heroic' job."

" _Geez, that's rough."_ Sparky said sympathetically. _"What're you gonna do?"_

"I don't know." Sky sighed. She blinked. "Hey, don't _you_ work with a soldier?"

" _Uh, yeah."_

"My teacher suggested I talk to a soldier. So, can I meet with him and talk to him about my essay?"

" _I don't know, Sky. I mean, Skipper doesn't really like to socialize."_

"Come on, Sparky, it'll give me an excuse to visit Propwash Junction. I haven't been there in ages. I can come this weekend."

" _Yeah, but…I just don't think it's a good idea."_

Sky groaned. "Why not?"

" _Skipper doesn't like to talk about his time fighting."_ Sparky explained. _"I mean, he was a Jolly Wrench and all, but I don't think he'd want to discuss it with you. Or anyone for that matter."_

"Sparky, please." Sky begged. "If I don't do well on this stupid essay, they'll hold me back a year in school. I don't wanna be held back, and this Skipper guy is my only chance at moving forward."

" _Why him?"_ Sparky asked.

"Because you know him, and I trust you." Sky said. "I would feel more comfortable talking to someone my friend knew."

" _I guess I can understand that."_ Sparky went silent, thinking about it. Then, he sighed. _"Okay. I'll come out and pick you up Saturday and you can spend the night in Propwash. Sound good?"_

"Great!" Sky said happily. "Thank you so much, Sparkplug."

" _Hey, don't get your hopes up."_ Sparky warned. _"I'm just taking you to talk to Skipper. You're the one who's gotta win him over."_

"Hey, I'm ten. I'll just amp up the cute factor and he'll melt." Sky said confidently.

Sparky laughed, clearly not convinced. _"Good luck with that, kiddo."_

* * *

Sky would never admit she felt a bit nervous to meet Skipper. Heck, she only knew Sparky because of a fateful meeting three years ago. Sparky was visiting Sterling for medical supplies and found Sky after she had run away from the orphanage. He stayed with her the entire day, making sure she was all right before helping her get back to the orphanage. The two became best friends after that, often writing to each other. Sparky returns to Sterling every once in a while for more supplies, always staying a few extra days to hang out with Sky. But Sky had only been to Propwash once before, and she never met Skipper. Despite knowing all of that, Sky was determined to not let something like this prevent her from moving on to the next grade. So when Sparky came by to pick her up Saturday, she eagerly bid Rosa farewell before joining him.

"Sky, this is Chug. He's a good friend of mine." Sparky introduced Sky to the forest green fuel truck waiting on the street with a trailer hitched up to him. "Chug, this is Skylar."

"Hey there, cutie!" Chug cooed. "Aw, aren't ya just the most adorable thing?"

Sky rolled her eyes. "Tell that to the girls in my class."

Chug laughed. "Eh, don't worry about them. Sparky tells me ya get teased at school."

"Oh did he?" Sky raised an eyebrow at the forklift as they boarded the trailer. Sparky just gave a somewhat sheepish smile.

"Yeah, but I'd be happy to 'accidentally' spill some fuel on them if ya want." Chug offered.

Sky smirked. "I'll have to think about that." _All right, I like this Chug guy._ She, Sparky, and Chug chatted the entire drive to Propwash Junction, and Sky definitely began warming up to the fuel truck. Sparky warned her to be courteous and careful with her words when she spoke to Skipper. Chug echoed the instructions, claiming Skipper to be quite the hardcore commander. Sky nodded in understanding, beginning to wonder what she got herself into.

It took about an hour to drive to Propwash Junction, and when Chug announced they were entering town, Sky stood up hurriedly to stare ahead. She smiled a bit; for some reason, the tiny town of Propwash held a special place in her heart. She liked it was in the middle of nowhere and not on the map; wide open spaces, plenty of friendly residents, and (best of all) it was home to her only friend. But Sky's smile fell to a frown as she sat back in the trailer. She loved Propwash Junction, but something told her she just didn't belong there.

When you're an orphan, you don't belong anywhere.

"Here we are!" Chug announced, stopping at the Fill N' Fly to let Sparky and Sky out. Sky slung her backpack over her shoulder, where she kept her toiletries, a few books, and a spare set of overalls. She followed Sparky through the tiny airport town and to a hangar at the end of the runway, Sparky reminding her to be respectful and gentle. Sky nodded, only half-listening. She didn't exactly want to bother Skipper any more than she needed to anyway, so the sooner she could get his answers the better for both of them.

Sky eyed the flag on top of the hanger, black and depicting a set of crossed wrenches and a piston that looked very much like a skull. She gulped a little, trying to remember anything about the Jolly Wrenches. But she steeled her nerves and knocked on the hanger door. The double doors slid open, and Sky's eyes widened a bit. She was forced to crane her neck up a bit to stare into the blue-gray eyes of the huge Corsair before her.

 _Oh Mother of Dodge._ Sky thought. _Sparky didn't mention he was freaking huge!_

"Hey Skip!" Sparky greeted warmly, despite the glare Skipper had trained on the little girl beside his medic. "So, this is Skylar. She has a question for you. Go on, Sky."

Sky blinked, suddenly brought back into reality. "Uh, right. Well, um, I have to write this dumb essay about my hero. The problem is, I don't have a hero, so my teacher told me to write about someone who does heroic things, like a soldier." Sky hoped Skipper would understand and say something, but the Corsair continued to glare at her. Sky gulped again. "Um, so…I was thinking you could…..you know, be the guy I write about?"

Skipper's glare never faltered. Then, quite suddenly, the double doors to the hanger slammed shut.

Sparky sighed. "Told ya so."

Sky glared. Any regard to showing respect to Skipper disappeared in an instant. She marched up to the hanger door and banged on it with her fist. "Hey!" The doors opened, revealing a still-glaring Skipper. Sky matched his look. "If you don't want to talk, you could've just said so." Sky snapped.

"Uh, Sky?" Sparky said nervously.

Sky ignored him. "You don't have to talk to me at all. I have a worksheet with questions from my teacher. You can answer those and then I'll write the report from there."

Skipper's glare seemed to deepen, and he slammed the doors shut again.

Sky was fuming now, and Sparky could see this going downhill _much_ faster than he anticipated. "Sky, maybe we should go."

The young girl ignored him again, banging on the hanger doors for a second time. "Open these doors right now!"

"Sky!" Sparky hissed. "This is so not helping!"

"Sparky, I am _not_ going to be held back a grade just because of some….." She raised her voice to be heard through the hanger doors. "…. _dumb old crankshaft!_ The least he could do is answer the stupid questions my teacher gave me."

The hanger doors suddenly slid open, and Skipper actually stuck his nose out of the hanger. His irate glare made Sparky cringe. "Why?" Skipper demanded, looking to Sky as the girl glared back at him. "Give me one, _very good,_ reason why I should even _consider_ helping you!"

"Because you'd be doing something nice?" Sky offered in a sassy tone. "Or do you not even know the meaning of the word?"

"You're one to talk about niceness!" Skipper snapped. "I see no reason why I should offer help to a spoiled brat like you! I can only feel sorry for your parents."

Sky's glare deepened. "I'm an orphan."

Skipper paused, but then scoffed. "Is that supposed to elicit sympathy from me? There are thousands of orphans in this entire country alone, just like you. Don't think that just because you've been hit with hardship that you can make others feel terrible about themselves."

"Not all orphans are psyche humans." Sky countered.

"Well, aren't we special?" Skipper mocked.

Sky's fists clenched. She hardly cared that Skipper towered over her anymore. "You can't talk to me like that!"

"Why not?" Skipper demanded. "Initial respect is given, eternal respect is earned. I showed you initial respect by answering the door the first time and listening to you speak. I decided to tolerate you when you knocked a second time. You haven't shown me a shred of respect since you first arrived here. If you think I'm just supposed to treat you with respect because you feel you deserve it, you've got another thing coming!"

"This should not be so difficult!" Sky shouted. "I just need a bit of your time. That shouldn't be so hard!"

"Why should I give up my time for someone who's not willing to put forth the work?" Skipper snapped. "You came to me because you need an easy A. Well I am _not_ going to encourage your laziness!"

"I _can_ put forth the work and I will!" Sky said determinedly.

"Oh really?" Skipper scoffed.

"I wouldn't still be standing here if I wasn't prepared to fight for this." Sky said.

Skipper was finally surprised by the girl's words. Of all the responses he expected, that certainly wasn't one of them. Sky was a bit surprised herself, but she stood firm. Yes, maybe she _was_ kind of looking for an easy A. Anything to keep her from being held back. But more than that, she wanted to talk to Skipper because Sparky knew him, and that's the closest she was going to get to talking to someone she knew. No way would she talk to a complete stranger, so Skipper was her only option.

Skipper narrowed his eyes at Sky, blue-gray eyes locked with blue-green, and the two stared at each other for a long, tense moment. "Let me see that worksheet you got." Skipper finally said.

"You gonna help me?" Sky asked bitterly as she dug into her backpack.

"Just show me." Skipper snapped. Sky rolled her eyes and handed her worksheet to Sparky, who drove into the hanger and emerged with a small scissor lift. He raised the paper to Skipper's eye level, allowing the Corsair to skim over the questions. He stared at Sky again. "When's this thing due?"

"Not this coming Friday but the one after that." Sky replied, hiding her hope with a disdainful look.

Skipper "hmm"-ed in thought. Sparky lowered himself down and put the scissor lift away, returning to Sky's side. Skipper and Sky locked eyes. Finally, Skipper spoke. "I'll make a deal with you, Skylar."

"What's that?" Sky asked.

"You do something for me, I do something for you." Skipper offered. "Starting Monday, you come to Propwash after school and do chores for me. Every chore you do will earn you two questions answered. You got twelve questions, so over the next six days you'll do some work for me in exchange for getting the questions answered."

Sky laughed in disbelief. "Seriously? Oh no. No way. I am _not_ going to become your personal slave."

"I don't see how you have much of a choice." Skipper noted. "You do this or you get held back." He could see a flash of fear in Sky's eyes, but she quickly resumed glaring. He matched her look. "Deal?"

Sky stared at Skipper for a long moment, weighing her options. Finally, she sighed/growled angrily. "Deal."

* * *

When Sparky finally took Sky home Sunday afternoon, Sky glowered at nothing in particular the entire drive. She clearly didn't like the situation Skipper forced onto her. Still, Sparky had to admire the girl's persistence. She was either completely insane or really determined to talk to him for her essay.

"Hey there, _chica!_ " Rosa greeted as Sky and Sparky walked up to the orphanage. "How was the weekend?"

"Great." Sky droned sarcastically. "I've become the personal slave to a senile Corsair!" She marched into the house and ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door shut. A loud, frustrated scream rang out through the house.

Rosa sighed, smiling at Sparky. " _Gracias_ for taking care of her."

"It's my pleasure." Sparky assured. "She really is a nice kid, even if she's got a bit of a temper."

Rosa chuckled. "Yes, I've learned to cope with it. Unfortunately, that girl has been put through too much than she or any other child deserves."

"What do you mean?" Sparky asked.

"I'm afraid that's not my place to say." Rosa said sadly. She shook her head and smiled again. " _Gracias_ again, Sparky. You have such a positive influence on her life, even if it doesn't show at first."

Sparky shrugged his forks. "Eh, it's nothing. But I do want you to know that Sky's gonna be coming to Propwash more often this week and maybe some of next week."

"Oh?" Rosa asked, looking a little confused.

"Me and…..a buddy of mine are helping her with her final essay." Sparky explained. "I'll be picking her up from school and taking her to Propwash every day. But don't worry, I'll have her back before it gets too late."

"Wonderful!" Rosa said happily. "Oh, I bet she'll have a great time!"

Sparky offered a somewhat weak smile. _I'm not so sure._


	28. Pre-P: Expectations Exceeded

**A/N: Not a very long chapter, but it works better for splitting up the work days. Rather than having each chapter be a work day, I thought I'd combine some of them.**

 **Read and review! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Two: Expectations Exceeded

Monday after class, Sky waited outside the school for Sparky and Chug to pick her up. She mostly rode in silence, not exactly looking forward to her first day of work.

Skipper was already outside, waiting for her and Sparky to arrive. When his forklift medic and his friend arrived, Skipper greeted the little girl with a hard, authoritative stare. "Good afternoon, Skylar Amelia Doe."

" _Don't_ call me Doe." Skylar snapped.

Skipper felt the corners of his mouth twitch in a brief smirk. "Fine, Skylar Amelia." He shoved a bucket forward, a large bottle of soap and a sponge resting inside. "Your first job for two questions answered: you're gonna wash down the entire outside of the hanger. I want it _scrubbed,_ top to bottom, perfectly clean by the time you're done."

"You're kidding." Sky droned.

"Give up when you decide you want to be held back." Skipper called, disappearing inside the hanger.

Sky was fuming again. But she gave an exasperated sigh. "Sparkplug, hold my bag, would ya?"

"Sure thing, Sky buddy." Sparky nodded taking the backpack from the ten-year-old. "The hose is there alongside the hanger and there's a ladder on the ground next to it."

"Thanks." Sky said curtly, rolling up her sleeves. She found the hose and pulled it out as far as it would go. Turning it on, she aimed the nozzle at the hanger and began spraying water all over the hanger. Once she felt she thoroughly wet it down, she filled the bucket with soapy water and began scrubbing down the walls.

Skipper smirked a bit, glancing at the clock. He gave it about an hour before the kid dragged him outside to show off her half-done job, only to start complaining when he tells her to start over. In the meantime, he had begun a rather good novel just yesterday and that one hour could be killed off finishing a chapter or two.

However, half an hour passed and Skipper heard the sound of the hose being sprayed on the walls of the hanger. _You've gotta be kidding me._ The Jolly Wrench rolled his eyes, continuing to read as he waited for Skylar to come running in declaring she was done. But he was surprised when the spray of hose water stopped only halfway down the hanger wall, and there was a soft _thud_ of the sponge hitting the wall again. Confused, Skipper rolled out and peered around the corner. Sky was only halfway done with the first wall of the hanger, beginning to scrub down the second half. She caught him staring and sent a dirty look before continuing her work. Skipper raised an eye frame and returned to the hanger. After another half hour, Sky sprayed the soap off the second half of the wall she worked on before moving on to the back wall of the hanger.

It was five o'clock before Sparky went out to find the girl. "Hey Sky! We ought to be getting you home soon, don't you think?" He blinked in surprise to find a lack of raven-haired girl. "Sky?"

"Hang on! I'm not done yet!"

Sparky jumped and looked up to find Sky was on the roof of the hanger, still scrubbing away. Her hair was frizzy and sweated drenched her face, but she continued soaping up the sponge and swiping it this way and that across the surface of the roof. Sparky stared in shock before zooming into the hanger and practically dragging Skipper out. Even the Corsair was surprised as he watched Sky continue her washing. It took her another half hour to finish scrubbing down the roof before she climbed down the ladder, dropped off her bucket, and climbed back up again with the hose. She began spraying the soap off, even shooting water onto the sides of the hanger to make sure all the soap fell into the grass. Sky stopped the water and looked around, slowly scanning the entirety of the roof and then climbing down to take a slow lap around the hanger. Nodding in satisfaction, she looked to Skipper for the all clear. The Corsair narrowed his eyes, taxiing around the hanger and scrutinizing every square inch of the building. He searched for any dried soap spots or patches of dirt Sky might've missed, but even the very bottom of the hanger walls were clean and the windows shined. In fact, the entire outside of the hanger seemed to sparkle in the evening light.

Skipper looked to Sky, who stared back wordlessly. The Corsair analyzed the girl for a moment, taking into account the wet patches spotting her overalls, frizzy hair almost falling out of its braids, and flushed face. "You got every inch of it."

"You do a job right the first time, you don't have to waste time doing it over." Sky replied simply.

Skipper stared, hiding his surprise with a hard glare. He had expected that to be something _he_ would tell _her_ after seeing what a terrible job she did. But this….this was even more thorough than Sparky. Skipper turned from the girl, heading back to the hanger. "You survived today. Let's see if you last tomorrow."

"Aye-aye, crankshaft." Sky growled. Sparky led her towards the Fill N' Fly. Luckily, Chug was still up for taking her back home, and they drove off down the road. Rosa was a little concerned, seeing how it was quarter to seven by the time they got back. But she was thankful to see Sky still all right and invited Sparky and Chug inside for dinner. The two vehicles kindly refused, bidding Sky goodbye before returning to Propwash Junction.

Sky ate her dinner alone and then took a long, hot shower. Once she could pull on her pajamas, she practically collapsed onto her bed. Rosa always checked each child before they went to bed, wishing them sweet dreams and making sure they were all comfortable. But by the time she reached Sky's room, the fourth grader had long since fallen asleep.

Rosa smiled warmly, pulling a blanket over the child. "I think things are going to get much better for you, _chica._ "

* * *

Tuesday. Normal day of class. Sparky and Chug picked Sky up. Skipper was waiting for her once more.

"Today, Skylar Amelia, you get to dust and sweep the inside of the main room in the hanger." Skipper said, gesturing to the broom, feather duster, and several cloths in the middle of the floor. "Sparky already moved everything you're not allowed to touch, so just get to work. I want to see my reflection in the floor."

"You can't see your reflection in concrete." Sky sassed, grabbing the feather duster.

"Don't you know a figure of speech when you hear one?" Skipper snapped as he disappeared into the back room of the hanger.

Sparky rolled his eyes a bit. "I could help ya, if you want."

"No." Sky said firmly. "I'm doing this by myself."

Sparky didn't dare argue with her as he drove outside to find Chug. Sky promptly went to work. Curiosity getting the better of him, Skipper found himself watching the girl cleaning. She tied one of the larger cloths around her mouth and nose before taking the feather duster and swishing it across every surface in the hanger, kicking dust and dirt loose and to the floor. She sneezed once or twice, but kept working. If she noticed Skipper watching her, she didn't show.

"You missed a spot." Skipper said.

Okay, _now_ she showed.

Sky shot a glare to the Corsair, but he glared right back as though to dare her to say something. Sky kept glaring for another moment before roughly sweeping the feather duster across the windowsill again.

After knocking most of the dust loose, she used a few of the cloths to wipe down every surface she just dusted. Tossing the dirty cloths outside the door, she took up the broom and began sweeping. Skipper left after that, settling down for a nap.

When he woke up, it was four-thirty. _I'll bet Sparky took the kid home already._ Skipper guessed, moving out to check the hanger. But he blinked in surprise to find Sky still there, on her hands and knees and running the last of the cloths across the ground.

"What are you doing?" Skipper demanded. "I didn't tell you to wipe down the floor."

"You wanted to see your reflection. This is the best you're gonna get." Sky snapped. She finally finished wiping up the dust off the floor and stepped outside, gathering the dirty cloths and running them under the hose to clean them off.

"Hey Skipper! Hey Sky!" Sparky greeted as he rolled up. "What's up?"

"Just finished." Sky replied simply. "Do you have anywhere I can hang these?" She held up the cloths, wringing them out as hard as she could.

"I'll put 'em in the sink." Sparky offered, taking the cloths and driving into the hanger. He gave a whistle. "Wow! I've never seen the hanger so clean!"

Sky brushed off her overalls and looked to Skipper, dust still settled in her hair and some dirt smeared across her cheeks. Skipper looked inside the hanger, scanning the area for any spots missed. But even the very corners of the hanger and every surface was free of dust. The only dirt on the floor was that his tires left behind as he moved around.

"You survived today." Skipper told Sky, not even turning to look at her. "Let's see if you last tomorrow."

"Aye-aye, crankshaft." Sky muttered bitterly.

Sparky and Chug took the girl home, and this time they accepted Rosa's gracious invitation to stay for dinner. Chug found great delight in talking with some of the orphan children, much to Sparky and Rosa's amusement. Sky finished her dinner quickly and then excused herself to shower and finish her homework.

Rosa stared in surprise as Sky jogged upstairs, and she smiled warmly. "I knew it."

"What?" Sparky asked the human woman.

Rosa's smile grew as she looked to Sparky. "That's the first time I've ever heard Skylar excuse herself because she had to do her homework. She's never taken an interest in her schoolwork."

"Yeah." Sparky nodded. "I guess the fear of getting held back is too much for her."

Rosa shook her head. "No. It's more than that." Sparky stared at her, confused, and the Hispanic woman laughed. "It's because of you and your friend. You're quite the positive influence on her."

Sparky didn't think so at first. But then he realized just how hard Sky was working. Even Skipper admitted to him how surprised he was. _I wonder…._


	29. Pre-P: Way of the Wrenches

Chapter Three: Way of the Wrenches

Wednesday.

School: boring for Sky, as usual, save for when she punched a kid for hitting her in the face with a dodgeball during P.E. She ended up going to Mrs. Getty for it, but ultimately both of the children were to blame and they were able to leave without punishment…..this time.

Sky felt her mood immediately lighten when Chug honked his horn at her as she left the school. But her sour attitude made a comeback when she approached Skipper.

"You see those decals on the side of the hanger?" Skipper gestured to the stripes and star, the design very much faded. Then Sky caught sight of the paint buckets and brushes on the ground. "Paint 'em over. Triple coat."

Sky got to work without a word, carefully outlining every line in the decorations before filling it in again. Her attention to detail and scrutinizing work meant it took almost an hour and a half to finish all the decals with the first coat.

Skipper went out to check on the girl's work, a small part of him expecting her to have completely screwed up the decals. Instead, he found the girl sitting on the grass with a large textbook and a worksheet in her lap. She twisted the pencil she held between two fingers, her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she stared at the book.

"What are you doing?" Skipper half-demanded, mostly out of curiosity.

"Waiting for the paint to dry so I can put on the next coat." Sky said as though it were obvious. "I thought I'd work on my stupid math homework."

Skipper glanced to the worksheet to see only one of the ten problems done, and he had to wonder just how long she had been working on it. He analyzed the girl for a moment before barking, "Sparky! Get out here!"

Sparky hastily drove out to stand beside Skipper, saluting the Corsair. "Yes, Skipper?"

"Skylar Amelia is having trouble with her math homework." Skipper said in his usual, stern tone. "Help her out."

"I don't need help." Sky snapped.

"Based on your attitude, I would assume you're struggling with it." Skipper snapped back.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it." Sky protested. "I'll struggle through it on my own."

Skipper narrowed his eyes. "A lifeguard would see someone drowning, throw them a life preserver and tell them 'Good luck.' In the Jolly Wrenches, we would see someone drowning and pull them to safety." He gestured to Sparky. "Here's your life preserver. Now use it."

Sky looked up and stared at him, surprise in her features. Sparky rolled over to her, taking a look at her worksheet. He started talking to her about the next problem, but Sky continued to stare at Skipper as though the Jolly Wrench flyer were a complicated puzzle. The Corsair stared back, waiting for her response. Sky finally turned and paid attention to Sparky, listening to him explain the problem a little better. When he saw Sky nod in understanding, Skipper returned to the hanger.

After half an hour of math homework, Sky got to work painting the second coat on the decals. She and Sparky worked more on her math homework while that coat dried. Even Chug came by to help, although whether or not he was actually helpful was debatable. While Sky painted the third coat, Sparky called Rosa to let her know they would be a little late coming home. Rosa had no complaints, especially when Sparky said they were working on homework together. Skipper surprised Sparky for the second time that day by telling him to inform Rosa that Sky would be joining them for dinner. Again, Rosa didn't complain, and only requested they get Sky home before nine so she could get a good night's sleep. Needless to say, Sky was surprised when Sparky told her she would be joining them for dinner. But she sat with them in the hanger as they ate the lasagna Sparky made. It was mostly quiet, but somehow not awkwardly.

Skipper took a look at the newly painted decals, and though he would never admit it out loud he was quite impressed. He glanced at Sky, who stood outside the doors to the hanger and waited for the report. She didn't seem to notice the streak of blue paint across her forehead, simply staring at Skipper. _Maybe there's more to you than I thought, Skylar Amelia._ Skipper mused. But he kept a small glare in his eyes as he looked to Sky.

"You survived today." Skipper said simply, without any real emotion in his tone. "Let's see if you last tomorrow."

"Aye-aye, crankshaft." Sky replied with some sass in her tone.

* * *

Thursday.

School: actually turned out to be more enjoyable. As they went over their math homework in class, Sky impressed Mrs. Johnson by knowing all of the answers and even eagerly answering all of the hardest questions. Sky brought her homework with her and went over it with Sparky on the way to Propwash, chatting casually with Chug most of the way there.

When Skipper was waiting with her, he surprised her with the job: patching up an old jacket that belonged to Max, the human firefighter who worked with the town's fire chief/truck, Mayday. It took only ten minutes for Sky to learn how to sew before she could hand-stitch a few fabric patches over the holes and worn-down areas on the jacket. She worked carefully, tugging at the patches to make sure they were secure. Max and Mayday came by about an hour later, and Max complimented little Skylar on her fine job in fixing the jacket. Sky shrugged it off. Secretly, she found it almost ironically prophetic that her teacher suggested she talk to a firefighter for her report, and here she was talking to _two_ of them. Mayday and Max were courteous and kind, with almost grandfather-like personalities. When they left, Sky found she was a bit disappointed to see them go.

"So now what?" Sky asked, realizing this was the shortest job Skipper ever gave her.

"Now, we're gonna talk about that worksheet you gave me." Skipper said, gesturing for Sky to follow him into the hanger. Sky was a bit surprised, but obeyed as Skipper grabbed the worksheet from a nearby bookshelf. Sparky helped Sky onto the scissor lift, raising her up to Skipper's eye level. Looking at the worksheet, Sky realized Skipper was true to his word and most of the questions were filled out. Actually, the worksheet had been attached to a spiral notebook, and every space under each question had a number to the page where the answers started. There were already ten pages' worth of notes filled. Sky tried her best to hide her surprise and slight excitement, only partially succeeding.

"So what are we going to talk about?" Sky asked, pulling out a pencil from her backpack and preparing to write.

"Well, there's a question there that asks if your hero has any special traditions, either from work or family or whatnot." Skipper explained. "I figured you would have a more well-rounded report if you could hear the explanation and then interpret it in a way your classmates will understand."

Sky bobbed her head. "Okay, so what's this tradition?"

"It's more of a motto." Skipper said. "The motto of the Jolly Wrenches: Volo Pro Veritas. Do you know what that means?"

"No." Sky said, the look on her face saying "Duh."

"It's Latin." Skipper explained. "It translates to 'I fly for truth.'"

"Oh, okay." Sky scribbled into the notebook.

"Do you know what _that_ means?" Skipper asked.

Sky paused. "Um…honesty is excellence?" Skipper chuckled, and Sky thought she would fall over in shock. Skipper chuckled. He _chuckled_ , as in actually laughed, in Sky's presence. She began to think he really was going senile.

"You see, Skylar Amelia, there's a difference between what Volo Pro Veritas translates to and how it's interpreted by each and every Jolly Wrench who follows it." Skipper explained. "At its core, the translation may mean 'I fly for truth,' but what it actually means is different depending on who you talk to."

Sky nodded slowly, scribbling down what Skipper said in the notebook. "So, someone might believe Volo Pro Veritas means 'honesty is excellence,' but someone else might think it means….like, 'I only fly for the right reasons'? Oh, or 'I only _fight_ for the right reasons'?"

"Precisely." Skipper nodded. "Now, as for that question about my job, you're gonna have to pay attention. Describing the Wrenches takes quite a bit of detail."

Sky scooted a little closer to Skipper, her eyes alert with anticipation and her pencil ready to write.

Sparky watched the two talk from his view at the hanger doors, smiling broadly. He snuck away before they could notice him, nearly giddy as he went to tell Chug what he discovered. _They're bonding!_ He thought excitedly. _They're really bonding! I knew it!_

Sky and Skipper finished their talk around five, and Sparky determined they should get on the road soon so Sky could be back at the orphanage in time for dinner. Sky stopped just outside the hanger doors and turned to face Skipper. The two of them stared at each other, but instead of glaring they gave rather emotionless gazes.

"You survived today." Skipper said, looking Sky over. "See you tomorrow."

Sky paused. "Aye-aye, crankshaft." She said, sounding like a soldier addressing a commander.


	30. Pre-P: Dogs in a Pound

Chapter Four: Dogs in a Pound

Friday was when everything changed.

School ended early that day, everyone let out at noon. Sky got a call from Sparky, telling her Chug had some work things come up and they'd be late picking her up. Not only that, Sparky had to pick up some medical supplies while he was in Sterling. Sky understood and told the boys to meet her at the orphanage instead of the school. Sparky promised to be there by two-thirty, when he usually picked up Sky from school.

But about an hour after Sky returned to the orphanage, a human couple suddenly arrived. Sky's eyes widened when she heard Rosa talking to the couple, revealing they were looking for a little girl. Sky looked to the clock. _Surely Sparky can wait a little longer._ She decided, jumping off her bed and running to the door. She checked herself out in the mirror, dusting off her overalls and combing her stray wisps of hair down with her fingers. Smoothing out her braids, she sprinted out of the room and stampeded down the stairs. She carefully snuck past the kitchen, where Rosa talked with the couple. The raven-haired girl slipped outside to the backyard, where the rest of the children played, and found a soccer ball nearby. She picked it up and moved a short distance from the door. Looking back, Sky saw Rosa escorting the human couple out to the backyard.

Licking her lips, Sky began juggling the soccer ball. She skillfully bounced the ball on her knees, feet, and head, keeping it up in the air. She looked out of the corner of her eye to see the human couple looking around at all the children in the backyard. Most of the children didn't pay much attention; usually, last-minute adopters turned out to be false alarms. But Sky kept up with her juggling until she noticed the human woman looking towards her. She nudged her husband and gestured towards Sky. The young girl tried to not notice, keeping her eyes on the soccer ball she juggled.

 _WHAM!_

Sky cried out in pain as something collided with her back, sending her to the dirt and grass. She groaned as she sat up, a second soccer ball at her feet. The human couple looked somewhere else, giving no indication they saw what happened to Sky. The raven-haired girl stared as Rosa called over a little redheaded girl, no older than four. The two of them joined the human couple inside. Sky sighed heavily.

"Gee, we're sorry, Skylar!" a Range Rover child said as he and several other children came over.

"Yeah, I kicked it too hard." A blonde human boy said sheepishly.

"It's okay." Sky shrugged, standing and lightly kicking the ball to them.

The children stared. "You're….not gonna pound us?" A brunette girl asked warily.

Sky blinked in surprise. A week ago, she would've threatened to put them in the hospital for hitting her like that. But, for some reason, the thought didn't seem appealing. She shrugged. "No. It was an accident. It's okay."

The children stared, shocked. This was the same Skylar who tackled another boy for making fun of her birthmark and put tacks in the tires of a vehicle child for running into her on the playground. Everyone in the orphanage knew Skylar went to visit her friend every day all week, but nobody knew what she did while she was gone. Several guessed hypnosis or mind control. A few began to wonder if this was really Skylar Amelia Doe standing before them. But soon, the kids found they couldn't complain. Nice Skylar was much better than Threaten-to-put-you-in-the-hospital Skylar.

"Hey, you wanna play with us?" the blonde boy offered.

Sky perked up. "Really?" When was the last time one of the children actually _invited_ her to play?

"Sure!" the Range Rover said happily. "You _are_ a pretty awesome soccer player. Come on!" The kids took off with the ball. Sky felt a smile pull at her lips, and she laughed as she joined in the game. The orphanage children laughed and whooped as they played, very much enjoying this new side to Skylar they never saw before. Sky soon forgot all about the human couple that came by.

Then, Rosa began calling for her. Sky looked over to see the human couple staring at her with kind smiles, and her eyes widened a bit.

"Come here a minute, Skylar!" Rosa called. "These people would like to talk to you!"

The orphans Sky played with gasped and urged her on excitedly. Sky laughed and ran over towards Rosa, her braids flying in the wind and her smile a mile wide.

 _This day couldn't get any better._

* * *

Sparky groaned for what felt like the thousandth time. "Oh man, she's gonna kill us!"

"She's actually a lot more understanding than you think." Chug assured as he drove down the road to the orphanage.

"Yeah, I guess I just feel guilty." Sparky sighed. Chug's work put them only a few minutes behind schedule, but what really killed them was the wait at the supply store for the medical supplies Sparky needed. It was already three-thirty. Chug went as fast as the speed limit would allow, finally reaching the orphanage and allowing Sparky to hurry out. He knocked quickly on the door, praying Sky wouldn't be too angry with him.

Rosa answered, looking a little forlorn. But she smiled softly when she saw Sparky. " _Hola,_ Sparky. Here for Skylar?"

"Yes! I'm so sorry for being late!" Sparky said hurriedly. He noticed Sky coming to the door. "Sky! Hey! I'm so sorry! The stupid med supplies shop had to call their larger store about a part I needed and then they realized they had it all along and then the register decided to break and—" He jumped a bit when Sky shoved past him, stomping up to Chug and roughly throwing her backpack in the trailer. She plopped down in the corner, curling up in a ball. Sparky blinked in confusion, looking to Rosa for an explanation. But the Hispanic woman already disappeared back into the orphanage. Sparky and Chug shared a concerned look before Sparky climbed aboard and Chug drove off to Propwash. Sky wouldn't speak the entire way there, glowering at nothing in particular.

Arriving at Skipper's hanger, the glare never left Sky's eyes and she wouldn't even look at the Corsair. Skipper was a bit surprised, but kept his firm tone he usually had when speaking to Sky. "Today is a relatively simple job if you can get it done right the first time. There are three empty fuel jugs over there; take them to Chug to get filled. When you're done, you'll go around to the back shed and bring ten cans of hydraulic fluid to the hanger for Sparky to put away." Sky threw her backpack to one side, albeit violently, and marched over to the three fuel containers sitting by the hanger door. She tried picking up all three, but Skipper reminded her they would get a lot heavier when the fuel went in. Sky kicked one of the containers aside before grabbing one in each hand and walking…..no, _sprinting_ towards the Fill N' Fly to find Chug. Skipper looked to Sparky.

"I dunno." Sparky shrugged his forks. "She's been in a bad mood ever since we picked her up." Skipper stared after Sky for a moment before returning to the hanger.

Chug wordlessly filled the two fuel containers Sky brought by, watching in amazement as she grabbed the now-full containers by the handles and dragged them across the ground on her way back to the hanger. The girl ran at full speed, but the weight of the containers forced her to slow down considerably. Chug was just glad those containers were so thick-skinned, otherwise the friction of them running along the ground would tear them right open. Sky finally made it back to the hanger, shoving the fuel jugs onto a wooden rack so Sparky could lift them up and carry them into the hanger. She grabbed the last fuel container and sprinted back to Chug, repeating the process. By the time she returned with the third container filled, sweat already dripped from her face. But she refused to acknowledge Sparky when he asked if she was okay. She wiped her face dry on her sleeves before sprinting to the back shed, leaving Sparky in the dust. Sparky stared worriedly, carrying the fuel into the hanger to put them away. Sky found the back shed and practically ripped open the door, scanning the shelves and floor for the hydraulic fluid. Finally spying several cans of it, she lifted as many as she could fit in her arms. Unfortunately, the cans were as tall as her torso and almost twice as big around, and her small arms could only grab two. Barely keeping her grip, she ran as fast as she could while holding the large cans and right into the hanger. She plopped them down at the doorway to the more private part of the hanger, sprinting off to get more cans. She didn't seem to notice Skipper resting in the main room of the hanger, watching her sprint around like a hyperactive cheetah. His eyes narrowed in distaste at Sky's hurried pace, but he also felt a twinge of concern.

Suddenly, Skipper noticed Sky running towards the hanger with not just two cans in her arms, but a third stacked on top and completely obscuring her vision. Because of this, she ended up crashing into the door of the hanger and hitting the ground. One of the canisters broke open, dumping hydraulic fluid all over the girl. She either didn't know what hydraulic fluid was to a plane or didn't care, because Sky just started shouting in frustration as she shoved the fluid can upright and stop the flow of fluid on her.

"Damn it!" She shouted in frustration, pushing the fluid cans upright. "Damn it to freaking hell!"

"Hey, watch your language!" Skipper snapped as he rolled out to check on the girl. Hydraulic fluid soaked her shirt and overalls, some of it dripping from her hair.

"Why should I?" Sky snapped, grabbing one of the fluid cans and dragging it into the hanger. Sparky stood next to the cans already at the doorway, staring in shock. But he didn't dare speak, sensing an incoming storm.

"Because no young lady of your age should speak that way." Skipper said, glaring.

"Yeah whatever." Sky grumbled, marching out to retrieve the other cans.

"What's going on with you?" Skipper demanded.

"I'm trying to get this job done quickly so I can get out of here!" Sky snapped, pushing another can over to Sparky.

"What?" Sparky asked. "What do you mean?"

"I know you don't want me around, so I'm getting it done fast and then you don't have to look at me anymore!" Sky practically yelled, her attention still directed at Skipper.

"I meant what's going on in your head?" Skipper snapped. "You're acting like someone just punched you in the heart."

"Oh shut up." Sky growled, shoving the half-empty can of fluid with the others and turning to head back to the shed.

Skipper glared hard, and Sparky shrunk back. _Uh oh. This isn't gonna be good._

Skipper suddenly shot forward, going right over Sky and stopping in her path. "Start talking. _Now._ What the heck is going on?"

"You don't care, so why are you asking?" Sky snapped.

"I wouldn't _be_ asking if I didn't care!" Skipper's voice began to rise in volume. "You are acting ridiculous!"

"Oh, sure, _I'm_ the ridiculous one!" Sky threw up her hands in exasperation. "Everything's my fault! Thanks for pointing that out!"

"I never said that." Skipper growled.

"Look, I know you don't want me around, so just let me do my job and I'll leave you alone!" Sky tried to move around Skipper, but the Corsair suddenly dipped a wing and gave Sky a soft shove. Not enough to hurt her, but with plenty enough strength to push her back into the hanger and onto the ground.

"You listen here, young lady." Skipper practically snarled now. "I will not stand here and let a mere child speak to me in such a tone."

"I don't see how you can stop me." Sky sassed as she jumped to her feet, glaring at Skipper.

Skipper became livid. "Skylar Amelia Doe—"

Sky snapped. _"Don't call me that!"_ Her resounding scream made Sparky jump and hide behind the corner while Skipper just continued to glare. Sky's eyes went wild with anger. "Don't _ever_ call me Doe! All right, that's _not_ my last name! Nobody knows my last name because my parents didn't want me to have it! I'm not wanted by anyone and you know what? I've accepted that! So stop rubbing it in!"

Skipper's glare lessened ever so slightly, staring at the raven-haired girl before him. Her blue-green eyes blazed with fury, but there was something else: hurt. Sparky slowly rolled out, staring at his friend with concern in his eyes. Skipper rolled a little closer to Sky, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Skylar Amelia." Skipper spoke only the name, but his tone gave a clear message: talk.

Sky glared at Skipper for a long moment, then her eyes traveled to the ground. "A human couple came into the orphanage today. They were looking for a little girl. They pulled me aside and talked to me for _over an hour_. I didn't yell; I minded my manners; I treated them with the initial respect they deserved." Her fists clenched. "They didn't choose me. They chose another little girl who acted just like I did. You know why she was chosen? She was younger. She was four, and I'm ten." She gave a small laugh, the sound coming out bitter. "You know what orphans are? We're all dogs. We're dogs in a pound, waiting for someone to give us a pathetic, pitiful smile and take us home. And just like in the pound, it's always the puppies who get adopted. It's the little kids who are always getting taken to new homes. The kids who are toddler aged and don't have anything wrong with them. No family wants to adopt a girl like me because, age aside, I'm a complete and total freak!" She caught Skipper's change in look. "Why am I a freak? How in Ford's name do you think I ended up in that orphanage?"

Sparky and Skipper tensed. The former rolled just a little closer. In the three years he knew Sky, they never once discussed how she ended up in the orphanage in the first place. Sparky always assumed her parents were dead, but now he had a sinking feeling that wasn't the case.

Sky kept glaring at the ground. "I look like my mother, you know. But I have my dad's hair and my grandpa's eyes. At least that's what my dad told me. My parents were just average, everyday humans. They always wanted a daughter." Her shoulders trembled now, with rage or sorrow Skipper wasn't sure. "They got me: a psych-man. My parents were horrified. They spent days trying to determine if there was some sort of genetic defect in the family, because they weren't psych-mans and neither were my grandparents. A genetic defect; I was shocked when I found out what that meant. They thought my powers were some sort of disease. When they discovered they couldn't just get rid of them, they tried to teach me how to hold back my powers. They tried to teach me to _not_ be what I am. The scolding I got when I even mentioned my powers….the punishments for trying to use them….I couldn't help it…..I _still_ can't help it! This is what I am; I am a psyche human. It's not something I asked for, I was just born with it!" Tears began forming in her eyes. But she blinked furiously to keep them back. "My parents….." She spit out the word as though it were an insult. "…..they didn't care. I wasn't the daughter they wanted. They didn't _want_ me. So what else do you do with something you don't want?" She looked up to glare furiously at Skipper. "I went to kindergarten one day, and Rosa picked me up instead of my parents." Her shaking became that of anger now. "They didn't even leave their names, just mine! They didn't want anything to do with me anymore! They gave me up! And I have spent the last six years at that damned orphanage waiting for someone to take me in! But nobody, not when I was five and certainly not now, wants to have me! They don't want to deal with a little girl who's a psych-man! All the other kids get a chance to go to a good home, why not me? Why don't I get a chance?! What am I doing wrong?!"

Sky breathed heavily, staring at Skipper with wild eyes. Her question hung out in the air, as though she expected an answer. Skipper stared back at her, his glare melted. Sparky stared in shock, finally realizing what Rosa meant when he talked to her a week earlier. He could only feel pity for Sky. She was clearly at the age where she could understand the feeling of abandonment, and no doubt it ate her alive to this day. Skipper wasn't sure what to feel. But for some reason, he felt a longing to say something, _anything,_ to comfort the girl.

Suddenly, Sky darted under Skipper's wing and took off towards town. She didn't stop sprinting until she found a secluded corner behind the Fill N' Fly, leaning against the wall of the building and sliding to the ground. She immediately burst into tears, curling into a ball and burying her face into her knees. The hydraulic fluid still on her clothes reeked, but she hardly cared as she cried. She couldn't remember the last time she lost control of her emotions like that. Worst of all, she did it in front of Sparky, her only friend. What would he think of her now?

Sky didn't know how long she sat there crying, but she jumped a bit when a soft voice said, "Hey. You all right?" Her head shot up to stare at the teenaged, orange and white crop duster standing before her. His ocean blue eyes stared at her worriedly, but with kindness.

Sky wiped her eyes dry. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" the crop duster asked.

"Yes." Sky muttered bitterly. She stared at the ground. "Do you know Chug?"

"It's a small town. Everyone knows everyone." The crop duster chuckled. "Hold on, let me go find him." He rolled off, only going a few feet before finding the fuel truck. "Hey Chug!" He rolled up to the fuel truck and lowered his voice. "There's this little human girl there behind the Fill N' Fly. She's asking for you."

Chug knew at once who that could be. "Thanks, Dusty." He and crop duster parted ways, Chug moving behind the Fill N' Fly. "Hey there, Skylar. What's up?" His face fell at the sight of Skylar's tears and the dark stains on her overalls. "Skylar?"

"Chug." Sky sniffled. "I wanna go back to the orphanage now."

Chug nodded. "Okay. Let me go get Sparky and—"

"No, I don't want to go with Sparky." Sky said hurriedly. "I just want you to take me. Right now. Please."

Chug stared at Sky, seriously thinking about his options. But he finally nodded again. "All right. Let me just get the trailer hooked up."

Sparky decided Sky needed some time alone before she would be ready to talk. But he also knew she would need a serious hose down to get that hydraulic fluid off. So after giving Sky adequate time to calm down, he went out looking for her. "Hey Dusty! You seen a little girl with black hair around here?"

"She just left with Chug." Dusty said, motioning to the main road.

Sparky's eyes widened and he rocketed down to the main road. He managed to reach the edge of town just after Chug pulled away and began picking up speed. "Sky! Sky, wait!" He stopped as Chug pulled farther and farther away, leaving the poor forklift in the dust. He stared after the truck and trailer, sighing heavily. _I won't give up on you, Sky. Don't you know I'm always there for you?_

 _Don't you know how much I love you?_


	31. Pre-P: Proper Propwash Party

**A/N: I know you guys were probably steamed based on what happened in the last chapter. Here's a little bit of a lighter chapter to take care of that!**

* * *

Chapter Five: Proper Propwash Party

" _Buenos dias, chica!"_ Rosa called cheerfully, shaking Sky awake.

Sky moaned tiredly, shoving her head under her pillow. "Rosa, it's Saturday! You're not supposed to wake me up on Saturdays."

"Come on, now! You must get up!" Rosa encouraged. "Señor Sparky and Señor Chug are waiting for you."

Sky felt a little guilty that the two came all the way out to the orphanage without knowing her choice for the day. "Rosa, I don't want to go to Propwash today. I'll pick up my work on Monday."

"But _chica_ , Sparky said you were going to spend the weekend in Propwash Junction." Rosa said.

Sky blinked and shot upright, staring at Rosa. "I am?"

"That's what Sparky told me." Rosa said. "He invited you to spend a nice, enjoyable weekend out at Propwash Junction, and you agreed."

 _When did I do that?_ Sky wondered.

"Hey Sky!" Sparky's voice called cheerfully from downstairs. "Come on! We got a weekend's worth of fun to get started on!"

Sky blinked in surprise, looking both confused and nervous. "Uh….."

"Come on, _chica!_ " Rosa chirped, patting the girl's shoulder. "Up and at 'em! I already packed your bag."

Needless to say, Sky was thoroughly confused. But she found herself rising from her bed and changing into her red shirt (long since washed) and a set of overalls. She tossed her pajamas into a small duffel Rosa packed for her and hopped down the stairs to meet with Sparky. The forklift had a warm smile on his face as they bid Rosa goodbye and headed out to meet Chug out on the street. The fuel truck greeted Sky warmly, as if yesterday never happened.

"Okay, what's going on?" Sky asked as she boarded the trailer with Sparky.

"You're spending the weekend in Propwash Junction." Sparky explained. "No work, no school, just having fun and spending the night. You'll be back in Sterling by dinnertime Sunday."

"But why?" Sky asked.

"So you can eat dinner with Rosa and have a good night's sleep before school on Monday." Sparky said simply.

Sky rolled her eyes. "No, I mean why am I spending the weekend in Propwash?"

"Everyone needs a little time off now and then, kiddo." Chug said. "You've been working hard all week. You deserve a break."

Sky blinked in surprise for the third time that morning. But she allowed Chug and Sparky to engage her in a conversation to help the drive go by. Arriving in Propwash Junction, Sparky escorted Sky to the hanger. Sky was a little nervous about how Skipper would receive her. But when the hanger doors opened, Skipper gave her the usual stare he wore when she arrived in the past.

"Welcome back, Skylar Amelia." Skipper said, sounding rather civil. "There's a hammock over there where you'll sleep tonight. You left your backpack here, but we just set it over there. Set your bag down and we'll get started."

"Am I doing a job today?" Sky asked as she set her duffel down next to her backpack.

"No." Skipper said. "You're getting a tour of Propwash Junction."

"It's a tiny town. I think I got a good look coming in every day." Sky noted in a somewhat snarky tone.

"It's one thing to get a look at the town." Skipper said as they exited the hanger. "It's another to get an actual tour."

Sky didn't fully understand, and she hoped the look she gave Skipper let him know that. But he simply gestured her to join him as he taxied towards town. Sparky carried the ten-year-old girl in his forks, the tour beginning at the Fill N' Fly.

"Hey there, Skylar!" Chug greeted at the station. He turned to the garage nearby. "Hey Dottie! Come on out here!"

Sky leaned out a bit to see a periwinkle blue forklift exit the garage attached to the Fill N' Fly, her pretty mahogany eyes alert and focused. She smiled as she approached them. "Hey guys."

"Dottie, this is Skylar Amelia." Chug introduced. "Skylar, this is Dottie. She's the mechanic for the Fill N' Fly."

"Uh, hi." Sky waved a bit shyly.

"Hi there." Dottie greeted. "Amelia, huh? That's an interesting last name."

Sky looked down. "It's actually my middle name. I don't have a last name." She waited for the awkward pause or for Dottie to begin stuttering nervously.

Instead, Dottie shrugged. "Oh okay. Good to know." If she noticed Sky's surprised look, she didn't show. "So, you guys giving Skylar a tour of the town?"

"Yep!" Sparky nodded happily.

"Great!" Dottie said with a warm smile. "Well, this is the Fill N' Fly. I work here with my dad and Chug. We do repairs, for the most part, but really we just try and make sure all the planes and cars around here are working correctly."

"I don't see very many cars around here." Sky noted. "Or humans for that matter."

"True." Dottie laughed. "It's mostly a plane town. The only reason this place exists is because of the airport."

"Oh." Sky nodded in understanding. "I guess that makes sense. So, are there any other businesses around here?"

"Oh yeah!" Chug nodded excitedly. "And you'll get to see them all!"

Chug wasn't kidding. He, Sparky, and Skipper took her to every single business in Propwash Junction, introducing her to the residents as they passed and giving her time to talk with the business owners. She re-met Dusty as she was getting introduced to Leadbottom, finding the biplane's obsession with his mulch a tad strange; she talked with Brodi and his wife at the motel, both of the planes cooing at Sky's apparent cuteness; she walked around the small grocery store, run by one of the few humans found in the town; she met with Mayday and Max again, the two firefighters taking the time to explain their wall of awards to an amazed Sky (she decided she liked them best); she even got to go into the air traffic control tower and talk to some of the staff. Dusty was right; everyone knew everyone by name and occupation, so for her to be wandering around caught quite a bit of attention. By the time Sparky announced the tour to be over, Sky knew every single human and vehicle by name and everyone in town knew about her. Sky didn't reveal much about herself; she was ten years old, in the fourth grade, and an orphan psych-man were the key details. Surprisingly, nobody pushed the whole "orphan" thing. They asked her about her school and what she liked to do for fun. They seemed very fascinated with Skylar's abilities as a psych-man. There were no looks of pity or comments about her situation or questions about why she was an orphan. It almost seemed unreal that she was one.

"Folks around here know how to treat others based on who they are, not what they are." Skipper explained during lunch. "That's just the way things work. How you portray yourself shows how others see you."

Wise as those words were, Sky noticed something about the townsfolk. When they saw Sparky, they would greet him warmly. When they saw Sky, they looked surprised but smiled kindly. When they saw Skipper, they just looked surprised. Sparky explained that Skipper doesn't usually like to go out much, but if Sky's hunch was correct she would guess Skipper didn't go out into town _at all._ It seemed strange that the Corsair could spend so much time in Propwash Junction and yet nobody seemed to know much about him. Maybe the fact that he was a warplane threw people off. Or maybe he just wasn't that sociable and he was just doing the tour for Sky's sake. Or maybe…..just maybe…there was something he wasn't telling Sky.

Skipper eventually returned to the hanger, leaving Sky to hang out with Sparky and Chug. She wandered around the town for a while, waving and smiling to residents. Sparky secretly felt overjoyed at the sight of such a warm smile on Sky's face. How long had it been since she truly smiled like that? Sky walked out to the edge of the cliff near the runway, staring out over the edge and laughing at the updraft of wind blowing in her face. Then, she stood as close to the edge of the cliff as she dared, closed her eyes, and spread her arms, allowing the wind to brush against her skin.

"Whatcha doin', Sky?" Sparky asked.

Sky sighed. "Pretending to fly."

She ended up starting a soccer game out in one of the fields nearby, joined in by several of the Propwash residents, human and vehicle alike. The game lasted for a few hours before people began drifting away to eat dinner. Sky and Sparky were the last to leave, returning to the hanger where Skipper waited. The three of them ate dinner together, talking and even laughing a bit. Afterwards, when night had fallen, Skipper took Sky outside to stare at the stars, explaining the different constellations and how the Wrenches would use the stars as maps. Sky stared in amazement, smiling excitedly and nodding in understanding as Skipper talked. The two talked for a few hours before Sky began nodding off, and Skipper encouraged her inside to get to bed. Her hammock turned out to be a bed sheet and some rope holding it to the ceiling and some feet off the ground. Sky dressed in her pajamas and brushed her teeth before Sparky helped her into the hammock, and she bid him and Skipper goodnight.

But as Sky slept, she suddenly became aware of the sound of an engine revving in the room. She moaned sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. But she felt wind on her face and her eyes snapped open to see Skipper's propeller spinning crazily. He was jerking and flinching, muttering incoherent words. Even with his eyes shut, he looked terrified, almost in pain, as though someone stabbed him repeatedly. Sky jumped when Skipper jerked, rolling closer to the raven-haired girl. His propellers now rested only a few feet away from her hammock, and she knew it would take only one hit to split her skull open.

"Sparky!" Sky shouted. "Sparky, help!"

Sparky hurried into the room. When he saw Skipper, his eyes widened and he hopped onto the scissor lift to reach Skipper's cockpit. "Skipper! Hey, Skip! Wake up!" He had to knock on the Corsair's cockpit a few times, but Skipper's eyes finally flew open and his breathing became labored. His eyes darted around for a moment until Sparky's soft, soothing tone calmed him down. Then, Skipper caught sight of Sky. She stared at him with wide eyes, looking thoroughly startled.

The Corsair cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. You all right?"

Sky swallowed. "Y-yeah, I guess."

Skipper rolled a little closer to her. "You sure?" He asked worriedly. "I'm sorry if I scared you, I just—"

"No, no, it's okay." Sky assured, calming down herself. "That looked like one heck of a nightmare."

Skipper didn't want to think about the details. But he nodded. "Yeah."

Sky tilted her head to one side, concern shining in her eyes. "You wanna talk about it?"

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with." Skipper assured, backing up into a corner of the hanger. Sparky stared a bit sadly at Skipper before lowering himself down, parking the scissor lift against the wall and returning to his room. Sky stared at Skipper as the Corsair settled down into an uneasy sleep. She carefully climbed out of the hammock, untying the bed sheet from the ropes that held it and dragging the cloth across the ground towards Skipper. She pulled a small step ladder to the warplane and used it to help her climb up onto his wing. Skipper blinked his eyes open in surprise, glancing to Sky as the child tossed the bed sheet up and draped it over his cockpit and back.

Sky looked to him, blue-green orbs locking with blue-gray ones. "So you don't get cold." She said simply, tugging the sheet a little farther over his cockpit. She hopped down from his wing and walked over to her stuff, curling up on the ground and using her duffel as a pillow. Skipper stared at her for a long moment before settling down to sleep again.

The next morning, Sky ate breakfast with Sparky and Skipper and then joined Chug outside for another round of soccer. Mayday and Max came by, asking Sky if she would help them test out their equipment for repair checks. Sky happily agreed, although by the end of their tests all three of them were soaked in water. Sky spent the rest of the afternoon with Skipper and Sparky, the three of them looking out over the land and simply talking as the sun dried off the water on Sky. When Sparky regretfully announced their return to the orphanage, Sky admittedly felt sad. But she knew she would be back; tomorrow was her last day to work for her questions.

As Sky left the hanger, her backpack on one shoulder and duffel bag in hand, she turned to face Skipper. The Corsair stared down at her with the softest of smiles.

"You survived the weekend." He told her. "See you tomorrow?"

Sky's voice came out as a whisper, a small smile on her lips. "Aye-aye, crankshaft."


	32. Pre-P: War of Words

Chapter Six: War of Words

Monday.

At lunch, Sky went to visit Mrs. Getty. The Volkswagen GTI was surprised; Sky actually _requested_ the meeting herself, which could mean any number of things for the young girl. When Sky entered the counselor's office, she didn't carry that usual frown Mrs. Getty was so used to seeing. In fact, her body language almost seemed to scream 'nervous.'

"Hello Skylar." Mrs. Getty greeted warmly.

"Hello Mrs. Getty." Sky greeted, sitting at the chair in front of the counselor's desk.

"What did you want to talk about?" Mrs. Getty asked.

Sky looked down, fidgeting in her seat. "I…uh…I wanted to thank you."

Mrs. Getty stared, surprised. "Oh?"

"I don't mean to be a problem child." Sky said, still looking down. "It's just I never knew how to let my anger out. I still get teased and I probably always will be, but I think I'm getting better at handling my anger. I know a lot of people already gave up on me, but you never did. So….thanks…." She cleared her throat, shifting awkwardly.

Mrs. Getty smiled warmly. "Skylar, it is so good that you came to me with this."

"It is?" Sky asked, confused.

"You're finally talking to me." Mrs. Getty said. "Do you know how many times you've been in here and not once have you ever truly talked to me? But now you have. And I am so proud of you."

Sky felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment and sheepishness. "Thanks."

"Don't for one second think I would ever give up on you." Mrs. Getty continued. "I've seen quite a few children come into this office, and even more in my entire career as a counselor. Not once have I ever given up on a child. And it's not because of my job; it's because I believe nobody should be left alone with everything that's upsetting them. Everyone needs someone to be there for them, and I like to be one of those people. Especially for children. It's why I became a counselor."

Sky smiled warmly. "I'm glad you were always there to talk to me, even when I didn't want to talk at all."

Mrs. Getty chuckled. "My pleasure, Skylar."

Sky thanked the counselor and left the office, her thoughts wandering. Chug and Sparky picked her up after school, per the usual, and the three of them talked the entire drive to Propwash Junction.

Skipper actually greeted her with a soft smile when she approached. "Good afternoon, Skylar Amelia."

"Sup." Sky greeted with a curt nod.

"Today, for your last two questions, you get to work a very special job." Skipper said in an unusually cheery tone that made Sky nervous.

"And…..that would be…?" Sky asked.

"You get to help Mayday and Max clean the firehouse." Skipper said.

Sky hung her head. _I should've known._ Still, she didn't complain as she handed her backpack to Sparky and walked with Chug over to the fire house. Mayday and Max greeted her warmly, and Sky offered a warm smile in return. Luckily, Sky found the two firefighters insisted on helping her as they swept, dusted, and organized the fire house. The three of them talked the entire time, including the story of when Max's hat caught fire during training and he ran about screaming. Sky laughed, so hard she ended up hurting her stomach, while Max just rolled his eyes and muttered something about Mayday telling that story too many times. When they finished, Max and Mayday surprised Sky with a gift: one of Max's old firefighting helmets. Sky initially wanted to refuse, but Max insisted, and the girl stammered a few "thank you's" before hurrying back to Skipper and Sparky to show them.

"That's awfully nice of Max." Sparky noted. "He and Mayday must really like you."

Sky shrugged. "I guess." _I really like them too._ She shifted back and forth a little on her feet. "So…I should be heading back to the orphanage now, huh? Unless you have another job for me." She tried to not sound hopeful at that last part.

"Yes and no." Skipper said. "Why don't you stick around and we'll help you finish that report?"

Sky perked up, and she quickly took out her notes and half-written essay. The three of them sat in the main room of the hanger, talking about the essay and important aspects to include. Sky ended up rewriting most of the essay on a new sheet of paper. But when she read it back to Skipper and Sparky, all three of them agreed it sounded much better. Sky couldn't help her wide smile. With this paper, she would pass the fourth grade. It was a little sad to think about; would she Skipper again after this? He didn't seem like the kind of plane that liked to travel if he didn't leave his hanger often. Sky tried to not think about it. Yet, something tugged at her stomach, and she had a feeling if she didn't ask soon, she wouldn't get another chance.

"How about we go out to dinner tonight?" Skipper offered. "To celebrate your work."

Sky smiled softly. "Oh, I don't want to be a bother. Besides, Rosa already offered to make me my favorite dinner tonight because I apparently did such a good job."

"You really did." Sparky assured. "I'm real proud of you, Soarin' Sky."

Sky's smile grew at the sound of her nickname. But she looked to Skipper and her smile disappeared. She exhaled softly. "Um….Skipper?"

"Yes?" Skipper asked, a bit surprised Sky called him by his name instead of "crankshaft."

Sky looked down, suddenly nervous. _How do I even start this conversation?_ But she gathered her bravery and spoke with confidence. "I'd like to make one last deal with you."

"And what's that?" Skipper asked, now more confused.

"I…" _Oh come on, Skylar Amelia, just say it._ "I want you to give me one more job in exchange for using my psych-man powers to look into your memories." Sky said, staring at Skipper.

Silence enveloped the hanger. Sparky nearly dropped the mug he held in shock. He warily looked to Skipper, who developed a dangerous glare in his eyes. Sky stared back, looking firm despite the voice in the back of her head that said she shouldn't have asked.

" _That_ is none of your concern." Skipper finally said.

"But I—"

"I said no!" Skipper snapped, making Sky jump a bit. "There's no reason for you to look into my memories."

"There _is_ a reason." Sky insisted. "I've learned so much from the past week, but I feel like I don't know anything about you. I want to _know_ you before I turn this essay in."

"Not happening." Skipper said stubbornly.

"What are you trying to hide?" Sky demanded curiously, her patience beginning to dwindle. "Why is it nobody in town seems to know anything about you?"

"Because they don't need to know anything about me. And neither do you." Skipper's tone carried subtle growling. Sky glared now, standing up so Skipper didn't tower over her so much.

"Sky?" Sparky asked, concerned and trying to warn the girl. But if past experience was any indication, there's no way he could stop them.

"Why is this such an issue?" Sky demanded. "You can't hide your past forever."

"Watch me." Skipper snapped. "Now leave it alone if you know what's good for you."

"When I was upset about that human couple and my parents, you wouldn't leave me alone." Sky reminded him. "You wouldn't even let me struggle with my math homework; you felt the need to order Sparky to help me."

"This is a heck of a lot more complicated than anything you've gone through." Skipper protested.

Sky scoffed. "More complicated than being abandoned by my own parents just because of what I am?"

" _Much_ more complicated."

"You're just making up excuses because you're afraid."

"I am not afraid of anything!"

"Because you're a warplane? When I told you I was an orphan you didn't seem very impressed."

"Orphans don't have to go through what I have!"

"And what would that be?"

"You have no right—"

"This isn't about right! It's just me wanting to know you better."

"Not interested."

"Why the hell not?"

Skipper jerked a few inches closer to Sky, and the girl flinched. He glared hard at the girl. "Why would I show my memories to a kid like you?"

"Like me?" Sky repeated, glaring.

"Someone who doesn't know when to leave things alone!" Skipper snapped. "Someone who always has to stick her nose into other people's business. Someone who can't take a hint. Someone who…who…"

"Who what?" Sky demanded. "Who doesn't know when she's not wanted? News flash: that's kind of my everyday life!"

"Oh enough with the sob story!" Skipper shouted.

"It's not a sob story!" Sky shouted back. "It's just how my life is! We established that already!"

"And it's never going to change with your attitude!" Skipper yelled.

Sky's glare deepened, her blue-green eyes seeming to be made of fire. She suddenly grabbed her backpack and essay and marched out the door. Just as she stepped outside, she spun around and glared at Skipper. "Crankshaft!" That was the last word she spoke before breaking into a sprint towards town.

Sparky's shock at the cataclysmic fight prevented him from moving for a moment. Then he glanced up at Skipper, who continued to glare. "What do you want to do?"

"About what?" Skipper muttered bitterly. "Never gonna see her again anyway." He turned from Sparky, staring out the window. His gaze caught Sky as she ran off, and for some reason he couldn't tear his eyes away. Sparky stared at the Corsair for a moment before hurrying out the door to follow Sky.

The raven-haired girl didn't stop running until she reached the Fill N' Fly, plopping down outside the garage to wait for Chug. She looked to her essay in one hand, the paper partially crumpled in her fist. Sighing in frustration, Sky pulled out her math textbook and stuffed the essay inside, slamming the book shut and stuffing it back into her backpack.

"Hey Sky!" Sparky called as he approached the young girl. "Hey, about what Skipper said—"

"I wanna go back to Sterling, Sparkplug." Sky said, her voice mostly void of all emotion. "Please?"

"Not yet. I want to talk about what just happened." Sparky said firmly.

"Well, I don't want to talk." Sky said stubbornly.

"Then don't speak. Just listen." Sparky said. Sky didn't look to him, but he could tell by the way her body relaxed that she listened. "You and Skipper have a lot more in common than you think. One of the things you have in common is you both react to things on instinct. The good news is you both have some pretty good instincts. The bad news is you both get clouded by anger easily." He rolled closer to Sky. "People say things when they're angry. Unfortunately, most of what they say is usually what they really feel. Other times, they're just speaking without thinking. You…you and Skipper both…you need to think long and hard about what you meant to say and what you actually meant."

Sky finally looked up to Sparky, and she sighed heavily. "I can't control my emotions, Sparky. You know that."

"Emotions aren't meant to be controlled." Sparky said. "They're meant to be felt, experienced. Skipper….he doesn't like to experience them. So, like you, he tries to hold back what he's feeling to make it look like everything's okay."

"So what's your point?" Sky asked tiredly.

Sparky smiled and gently patted her head. "My point is you can't give up on him yet. Just like he can't give up on you just yet. And you know I'm never going to give up on either of you, because you're my friend and I love you very much."

Sky stared off into space. Sparky's words made her hard heart crack, but once again she did everything in her power to hide her feelings. "Can we go back now?"

Sparky nodded, a warm and understanding smile on his lips. "You bet, kiddo."


	33. Pre-P: Transferred

Chapter Seven: Transferred

Sky stared at the ceiling of her room, the moonlight coming through her window cast across her face. Her hair hung loose from its usual braids, splayed all over her pillow. She didn't feel the least bit tired, Skipper's words echoing in her head. Most of all, the last things he said to her.

 _Who what? Who doesn't know when she's not wanted? News flash: that's kind of my everyday life!_

 _Oh enough with the sob story!_

 _It's not a sob story! It's just how my life is! We established that already!_

 _And it's never going to change with your attitude!_

It wasn't a sob story. Sky knew when her parents abandoned her that nobody could ever want her. She was a psyche human; a freak of nature. Nobody would be willing to put up with that. That's the truth of the matter.

Right?

Being a psyche human wasn't exactly rare, but to be born a psyche human from a couple without such powers was certainly an anomaly. But did that really mean all psyche human children like herself were doomed to be unloved and unwanted by those around her? She used to hate that she was a psych-man because she felt that alone was the reason she was given up and nobody ever adopted her. That didn't seem to be the case anymore. Sparky liked her; heck, he was her best friend for three years straight. He even said he loved her. Chug took an instant liking to her, and that fondness never left when he found out she was a psych-man. The entire town of Propwash Junction seemed fascinated by the idea of the young girl's powers. It just didn't make sense in Sky's brain. How could her parents, people who were _supposed_ to love her, abandon their flesh and blood because of these powers when an entire town accepted them without question? Parents love and care for their children; hers gave her up because they saw her abilities as a disease. Sparky accepted her. Chug accepted her. Rosa and Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Getty and even all the orphans in the orphanage accepted her.

 _It's never going to change with your attitude!_

 _How could it all be about my attitude?_ Sky wondered. _I always thought being a psych-man was bad, plain and simple._ Only now, Sky began to think it wasn't as black-and-white as she previously assumed.

Realizing sleep was not coming without a little help, the ten-year-old rose from her bed and began tiptoeing down towards the kitchen. She stepped carefully, not wanting to wake anyone and also trying to not trip in the darkness. But she blinked in surprise to find the kitchen lights on, even though it was almost 10 p.m. Not only that, voices came from the cooking area: one clearly Rosa's and the other two Sky didn't recognize. She crouched down on the stairs, staring through the bars of the railing.

"It is my job as a social worker to look out for the wellbeing of the children in the state of Minnesota." A woman with piercing blue eyes and bright blonde hair said, beginning to lose her patience with Rosa. Her business suit was clean-pressed and spotless, a stark comparison to Rosa's floral print dress and apron.

"If you really cared about Skylar's wellbeing, Angelica, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Rosa argued.

"Ms. Lopez, you have done a pretty good job caring for the girl." Angelica said. "But she's turning eleven soon, and policy dictates she needs to be moved where she'll grow up adequately like any normal eleven-year-old."

"Please understand, Ms. Lopez." A young woman standing beside Angelica said. She also wore a business suit, only a little more casual than her partner. Her mocha hair was pulled into a bun and a pair of wireframe glasses rested over her dark hazel eyes. "She needs to understand the social constructs of a typical preteenager in order to better understand the constructs when she reaches thirteen."

"I can understand that, Jessa. But she's _happy_ here." Rosa protested.

"Really?" Angelica scoffed. "Last I heard, she's actually quite an irritable child. Ever heard of counseling?"

"She's been going to the school counselor for the past year." Rosa said. "And recently she's shown significant improvement. Give me a year and you'll see a whole new Skylar. She could be adopted within a few months."

"Should a couple come by." Jessa pointed out gently.

"We've had quite a few couples come by over the past two months." Rosa said. "Some of them were even homosexual partners who took in a child. And we have a waiting list for couples who previously called in requesting time for interviews."

Jessa looked to her superior. "That _is_ rather promising, Angelica."

"Ms. Lopez, you're lucky the state allowed you to keep her this long." Angelica reminded the Hispanic woman, mostly ignoring her partner. "She's three years older than your oldest children. She _is_ the oldest child here, and the only one over ten. If the girl isn't given the chance to live with children her own age, she won't develop properly."

"Being around the younger children is teaching her responsibility." Rosa reasoned. "I often look to her for help with the other children."

"Which is only going to confuse her." Angelica said. "She'll be thirteen and still in the foster system because she acts like a five-year-old." Jessa opened her mouth to protest, but Rosa beat her to the punch.

"Have you ever even met her?" Rosa snapped. "And she has a name which you have yet to use!"

"Skylar Amelia Doe." Angelica sassed. "Ten years old, soon to be eleven. Getting to the age where her chances of being adopted are growing unlikely." She stepped a little closer to Rosa, who stood firm with a glare in her eyes. "Your attachment to the girl only further proves she is too comfortable here. If she gets comfortable in this setting, it will decrease her chances of adoption even more."

"You cannot do this." Rosa growled.

"I'm only following protocol." Angelica said with a small sneer. "I will allow her to stay through her eleventh birthday, but after that she will be transferred to a foster home in Colorado where there are other children her age."

"What?"

Rosa, Jessa, and Angelica whipped around to stare at Sky, currently standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Based on the look on the girl's face, she more or less heard their entire conversation. "Skylar, dear, what are you doing up?" Rosa asked.

"I-I couldn't sleep." Sky explained, staring at the women. "I came down for some water. What do you mean I'm going to be transferred?"

Rosa looked down, sighing. "Skylar, sweetheart—"

"I don't want to leave!" Sky protested, an almost fearful look coming to her eyes. "I want to stay with you and the other kids!"

"This is precisely what I was talking about." Angelica droned. "The longer she stays here, the more comfortable she'll get. She needs to face the reality of being adopted into a family who might take her across the country." She lowered her voice to a mutter. "Although with her attitude she'll be in the system for a while."

"Angelica, that's not necessary." Jessa scolded softly, growing a little irritated with the blonde woman's attitude.

Sky glared. "I'm not leaving Sterling. I have friends here. What about Sparky and Chug and Mayday and Max?"

"Who are they?" Angelica demanded.

"My friends." Sky said firmly.

Angelica knelt down to be at Sky's eye level. "And are any of them your age? Or species?"

"No, but why should that matter?" Sky demanded.

"Indeed, why _does_ that matter?" Jessa half-asked curiously, half-demanded.

"Because if you want to grow up normal and get adopted, you need to be around other human children your age." Angelica said, staring at Sky. She cast a look to Rosa. "It's a miracle the state hasn't reclaimed her already."

"I _will_ get adopted soon enough!" Sky snapped. "And it'll happen while I'm still here!"

"What family in their right mind would want someone like you if you've been here so long?" Angelica suddenly growled.

"Angelica!" Jessa gasped, horrified.

Sky's glare deepened and she even bared her teeth a little. She gave Angelica a hard shove, sending the woman to the ground before turning and running back up to her room. Rosa called for her, but she ignored the woman as she slammed her bedroom door shut.

Rosa glared at Angelica as the woman stood and dusted off her skirt. "Happy now?"

Angelica scoffed. "Please. She's not the only problem child I've met in my time working. I'll be back in a few weeks to pick her up." She glared at Rosa. "Don't try anything funny, Rosa, or I'll have you shut down in a single phone call."

"You think you can scare me?" Rosa growled. "Contrary to your beliefs, the state actually likes me. I'm one of the most highly recommended foster mothers for young orphans. I've always taken care of my children until they could be adopted, and I will continue to do so. _Especially_ for Skylar." She pointed towards the door. "Now get out of my house, _mujer del diablo."_

Sky listened at her bedroom door until she heard the front door to the house slam shut, indicating Angelica listened to Rosa for once and left with Jessa. The raven-haired girl ran to her bed and jumped onto it, burying her face into her pillow and letting out her sobs. She was getting transferred. To _Colorado_. That was hundreds, maybe thousands of miles from Minnesota. She would never see Sparky again. Or Chug or Mrs. Johnson or Mrs. Getty or any of the Propwash residents.

 _I knew it._ Sky thought sorrowfully. _I'm not wanted by anyone. I'm going to be an orphan forever._

The door to her room opened, and Rosa stepped inside and sat on the edge of Sky's bed. " _Chica,_ don't worry. Everything's—"

"Don't tell me everything will be all right." Sky said, her voice muffled by her pillow. "It won't, okay? I was right all along. I'm a freak. Nobody wants me and nobody loves me. Even if someone _did_ want me, what difference would it make?" She curled up in a ball, keeping her face buried. "I don't know how to be loved. How can I know how to love someone else?"

Rosa stared in shock, sighing sadly. She tried to pull Sky into a hug, but the girl jerked away from her. Her sorrow growing, Rosa regretfully rose from the bed and walked out the door. She stopped at the doorway. "We'll talk tomorrow after school." She said with a weak smile before shutting the door. Sky resumed her sobbing, biting into her pillow in an attempt to make her stop crying. Talk? About what? There was nothing Sky or Rosa or anyone could do to prevent her from leaving Sterling. Who was to say it would stop when she got to Colorado? What if she just kept moving from place to place for the rest of her life?

Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck Sky. What if she never got adopted at all? What if she was still living in a foster home when she was an old lady, still waiting for someone to adopt her? What if she lived her entire life in an orphanage, only to die without ever being adopted? It terrified the girl to no end, imagining herself as a withered elderly woman still waiting for a family to take her in.

Sky sat up, her breathing erratic. _No. No I can't let that happen! I just can't!_ She looked around her room, as though searching for an answer. Then, one came to her. It was incredibly stupid, but if it meant she could start over and increase her chances of being adopted, maybe it was her only option.

It only took a few minutes for Sky to settle into her decision.


	34. Pre-P: Search Party

Chapter Eight: Search Party

Skipper stared off into space, his eyes locked to the window outside as though he expected Sky to come up the runway with Sparky. His thoughts traveled back to their argument. It was kind of hard to believe a girl her age could believe she was forever meant to be alone and without a family. But when he remembered her story about her parents, Skipper found her attitude more understandable. If only he could get her to see otherwise; if only she could remain hopeful, maybe then she wouldn't be so angry all the time. Still, they both said some pretty nasty things to each other. Skipper stood firm by his decisions; he didn't feel it necessary to reveal his memories to a little girl, especially not…that one memory. The one that always kept him up at night. Like that night when he had that nightmare and startled Sky half to death. For some reason, he felt guilt bubbling up when he realized how much he scared her, and everything in him seemed to scream "Is she okay? Make sure she's okay!" But why? Why did he care about this random little girl Sparky brought home one day? It's not like they shared a bond or anything.

Right?

Skipper looked down as Sparky rolled up beside him. The two sat in silence for a long, tense moment. "Do….do you think….maybe…I was too hard on her?" Skipper finally asked.

"Maybe a little." Sparky nodded. "You _can_ be a bit temperamental at times. I mean, she does need a better attitude about her situation, but I guess when you're so young you can't help yourself sometimes." He smiled at Skipper. "It's not completely your fault that you don't trust anyone with your past. I was there; I know how hard it can be on you. Sky's the same way."

"Really?" Skipper murmured, sarcasm laced in his tone.

Sparky chuckled. "Hey, that day when she blurted out her past with her parents was the first time I ever heard the story. You two have a lot more in common than you think." He turned to better face Skipper. "Just…..think about this: why did you want to hide your past from Sky even after she told you hers? You may not see it, Skip, but that kid's had quite the positive influence on you."

Skipper chuckled softly, disbelievingly. "I don't think so."

"I don't think so either." Sparky said. "I _know_ so."

Skipper stared at Sparky, a small smile growing on his lips. But they jumped when someone knocked hurriedly on the hanger doors. Sparky answered and blinked in surprise to find Chug, Rosa, and a blonde and a brunette human woman outside the doors. "Chug? Rosa? What an unexpected pleasure. And this is…?" He looked to the extra two human women.

"Angelica and Jessa." Rosa said hurriedly. "Social workers. Tell me: is Skylar around here?"

"Please tell me you've been hiding her all this time!" Chug begged.

Skipper turned and approached the door. "What're you talking about? We haven't seen Skylar since Monday."

"Likely story." Angelica scoffed.

"Not now, Angelica!" Rosa snapped.

"Rosa, Chug, what is going on?" Skipper asked, firmly yet with concern in his voice.

Rosa swallowed. "Skylar's missing. She left for school yesterday morning but then never came back. I called the school; she hasn't been in class at all yesterday or today."

"She ran away?" Sparky asked, shocked and worried.

"That's what we believe." Jessa said, looking concerned.

Angelica, on the other hand, looked irritated. "Damn kid disappeared when nobody was looking."

Skipper immediately found he hated this Angelica lady. But he pushed it aside for now. "Have we searched town?"

"I just got done asking everyone in Propwash Junction." Chug said. "Everyone swears she's not anywhere here."

"I contacted the police in Sterling, but so far nothing." Rosa said, her anxiety growing. "I'm so scared for her."

"Why would Skylar run away in the first place?" Skipper demanded.

"That's none of your concern." Angelica snapped.

Rosa spoke up not a second later. "She's angry and she's scared. Only this time for an entirely different reason." Sparky and Skipper stared at her, allowing her to continue. "I'm only allowed to keep orphans until they reach a certain age. Skylar is the oldest child I have; when she turns eleven, she's going to be transferred to a new foster home in another state."

"But her birthday's in less than two weeks!" Sparky realized.

"That's the problem." Rosa said. "There was a small fight, and Skylar is determined to stay in Sterling."

"She's just scared to leave." Jessa assured. "Sterling has been her home for so long. It only makes sense she would want to stay. But policy in Minnesota dictates that wards of the state need to grow up around other children their age so to not hinder their development psychologically. This applies to both school and home, the latter being where we had an issue."

"Did anyone ever think to ask if Skylar Amelia even _wanted_ to leave?" Skipper demanded.

"She's a child." Angelica said snidely. "She doesn't know what she wants."

"That is the _weakest_ excuse I've ever heard!" Skipper suddenly shouted, making Angelica recoil.

"Then she doesn't know what she _needs_!" Angelica snapped. "That's what Jessa and I are here for."

"You're wrong." Skipper growled. "She's a smart girl. That's how she's been able to stay hidden for so long and that's why I'm confident she _does_ know what she needs. Sparky, let's go." He began rolling outside, Sparky hurriedly following.

"Where are we going?" Sparky asked.

"We're going to find her." Skipper said.

"Let the police handle it!" Angelica snapped. "You'll never find her!"

"Try me!" Skipper snapped back, not even pausing.

Chug sped off after Sparky and Skipper, Rosa and Jessa close behind. "Hold up, you two! I'll get the trailer hooked up and I'll take ya where you need to go."

"Chug, we're going to Sterling." Skipper said. "I know she's there; we just have to look for her."

"Then I'll take you all the way to Sterling." Chug said determinedly. "Just let me hook up the trailer!" His tires squealed a bit as he hurried away.

"Here." Rosa pulled a cell phone from her pocket and handed it to Sparky. "It's my emergency cell. I'm going to get a ride back now and ask the children if they know where Skylar might be. I'll call you if I find something."

"I'll help her." Jessa offered.

"Done." Skipper nodded, waiting impatiently for Chug to return. _Skylar Amelia….just hang on…_

* * *

Sky prided herself in her ability to stay hidden. When she was younger, she used to pretend to be a ninja and sneak up on children to scare them. Now, those ninja-like tactics came in handy as she ducked out of sight from police officers and other adults she knew. Apart from that, she just wandered around the city of Sterling like she did for the past two days. An ever-present frown glued itself to her lips, her normally bright blue-green eyes dull and stuck to the ground. Her stomach growled often, but she couldn't bring herself to go so low as to steal something. She tried searching the garbage cans, but found nothing.

 _Orphans are nothing more than dogs in a pound, waiting to be adopted._ Sky thought miserablely. _Now, I'm the stray, wandering around the city and hoping I'm not caught or killed as I try to live._

Like most miserable children would when in her position, Sky's thoughts traveled back to everything bad happening in her life.

One: her parents abandoned her for being a psyche human.

Two: she hasn't been adopted since then.

Three: she's on the verge of being held back a year in school.

Four: someone's forcing her to leave Sterling, which would mean she would leave her only friend.

Five: she had that huge fight with Skipper.

Sky paused in her self-loathing at the thought of Skipper. For some reason, she felt a longing to be near the old Corsair again. She used to think the only good thing in her life was her friendship with Sparky. The forklift was the only one who could wiggle his way into her heart and make her feel like she was wanted and loved. So why did she feel the need to be near Skipper of all people? He was a stubborn, ill-tempered old crankshaft who didn't even _like_ Sky when they first met.

But what about now? Despite their arguments, including the last one, Sky found there were a number of times Skipper proved to be more than she expected. Like when he forced an answer out of her when she was in her bad mood last Friday. Or when he took the weekend to show off his home to her. Or when he seemed genuinely concerned after his nightmare scared her. Even that day when he ordered Sparky to help Sky with her math homework. Still, even with their evenly balanced ups and downs, did that mean he actually cared about her? And she did really care about him?

Did it even matter anymore?

 _I screwed up, so I can't turn back now. There's no choice._ Sky thought, still miserable. _I have to start over. Away from Sterling. Away from Rosa and Sparky and Skipper and Chug and everyone. Maybe I can walk down the highway to another town or another state. Then I can find another foster family to take me in and I'll be adopted faster._ Bobbing her head in agreement, Sky began walking towards the edge of town.


	35. Pre-P: Broken

Chapter Nine: Broken

Skipper was tense the entire ride to Sterling, and when Chug finally stopped he couldn't get out of the trailer fast enough. Chug decided to drive around the neighborhoods and look for Sky while Skipper and Sparky headed downtown. They asked around and called out for the girl, but nobody reported seeing her and they couldn't find any trace of the ten-year-old. Rosa called an hour into their search, telling them none of the orphans in her home could think of where Sky could be, but they did see her going into town instead of towards school the day she disappeared. She didn't even have her backpack.

"She's gotta be around her somewhere." Skipper murmured as he and Sparky drove down the street.

Sparky glanced up at Skipper. "Why are you so determined to find her, anyway?"

"She's ten! Who in their right mind would let a ten-year-old wander around by herself?" Skipper barked. "She'll get kidnapped or something!"

Sparky raised an eye frame. "Yes, but this seems like the concern of Rosa or those social workers. Certainly not for someone who just had a heated argument with her."

Skipper didn't answer. He kept his glare straight ahead as he continued on. Sparky kept right beside him. _I know you, Skipper. You wouldn't be out here practically tearing the town apart looking if you didn't still care about her._

A couple hours passed, yet still nothing. Then, storm clouds began rolling in over the town of Sterling, and within minutes buckets of rain started falling. As thunder roared and lightning streaked across the sky, most of the residents of Sterling hurried to their homes. Sparky noticed with a hint of surprise that Skipper didn't even pause in his search. The forklift stayed under the Corsair's wing to keep dry, calling for Sky the entire time.

"Where could she be?" Sparky murmured as they wandered through the outskirts of the downtown area. _Even when I met her three years ago, she didn't wander so far._

"Anywhere." Skipper admitted. "Where she knows she won't be found." _Except that really could be anywhere, or maybe not even in town. Think, Skipper, think. If you were Sky, where would you be? Well, if I were her, I wouldn't have run away. Ugh, come on! How does a little girl disappear without any sort of clues as to her—_

Skipper paused, forcing Sparky to stop as well. Sparky opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but Skipper shushed him sharply. The two sat in silence, listening to everything around them. There! Through the drumming of the rain and the crashing thunder, a soft voice sang out into the air. It was faint, but the warplane and forklift could still make it out.

Skipper and Sparky exchanged hopeful glances before quietly rolling forward. Looking around the corner and into an alleyway, they spied a tiny figure curled up in a ball. Rain soaked her, from her dark blue overalls and red shirt to her pitch-black hair and all the way down to the bone. She buried her face in her knees, not seeming to notice the rain still pouring down over her. Her voice came out soft as she sang, not noticing she had an audience.

"Sky?" Sparky piped up.

Sky gasped softly and her head shot up, staring at Skipper and Sparky in surprise. She ducked her head a bit, seeming embarrassed. For a moment, there was only the sound of the rain around them. "I sing because music helps me control my emotions. It gives me a way to express myself without anybody looking."

"You should sing in front of others more often." Sparky said with a kind smile. "You have an awfully pretty voice."

Sky hugged her knees. "Don't take me back."

Skipper gave a small glare, the look he usually had on his face. "Sparky, call Chug. We need to get to Propwash Junction ASAP." Both Sparky and Sky looked to Skipper in surprise. But Sparky hurriedly did what Skipper said as the Corsair came closer to Sky. He stared down at her. "You're soaking wet. At this rate, you'll get pneumonia before the evening is over. So you're gonna come with me and Sparky back to Propwash and we'll get you warm and dry. That's not a request; it's an order." He dipped one of his wings as low as he could get it. "Come on. Climb abroad."

Sky stared at Skipper for a long moment, only the sound of the rain hitting the pavement and themselves echoing in the air. Then, she slowly stood up and climbed up onto Skipper's wing. She sat in the bend of the wing, staring at the metal without really seeing it. Sparky announced Chug would meet them at a bus station nearby, and they drove off. Sky remained on Skipper's wing, tilting over a bit and leaning against the warplane. Skipper blinked in surprise, but folded his wing to better shield Sky from the rain.

 _Is it possible?_ Skipper wondered as they waited for Chug. _Have I really grown to care for this little kid?_

* * *

It was even storming in Propwash Junction when the four of them arrived. Chug hurried home while Sparky and Skipper took off for their hanger, Sky still carried on the Corsair's wing. Sparky handed Sky a large towel and instructed her to undress and dry off. He wrung out her sopping wet overalls, shirt, socks, and underwear before setting them next to a heat lamp to dry them. Sky dried off with one towel before cocooning herself in a second, huddled near the heat lamp to get warm. Sparky quickly dried Skipper off enough that he didn't drip with water anymore, and then the forklift realized with a start he never called Rosa.

"Yeah, we found her." Sparky told the Hispanic woman. "She was soaking wet, but we brought her back to Propwash to help her out."

" _Oh_ muchas gracias _, Sparky."_ Rosa said, sounding ultra-relieved. _"I'll call the police and tell them she's been found."_

"We'll bring her back—"

" _No, no, don't worry about it."_ Rosa said hurriedly. _"She needs you two right now. I'll come by tomorrow to pick her up, but I feel better knowing she's with people she trusted this evening. Besides, she will probably be happier with a break from the orphanage."_

"Okay." Sparky agreed. "We'll take care of her." He bit his lip. "Um…about that social worker…"

" _Angelic and Jessa left hours ago."_ Rosa explained. _"Angelica will be back when Skylar turns eleven. I'm going to do what I can to try and prevent that. For now, just stay with Skylar and make sure she's okay."_

"Can do." Sparky said, thanking Rosa before hanging up. He rolled out to the main hanger to see Sky getting dressed in her now-dry clothing, leaving her socks and shoes by the heat lamp to continue drying. "Rosa's gonna pick you up tomorrow."

Sky curled up again, staring at the ground. "Please don't send me back to the orphanage. I don't wanna leave you."

Silence.

Skipper and Sparky stared at Sky for a long time, but the girl never looked up for a moment. Finally, Skipper looked to his medic. "Sparky? Could I get a moment alone with Miss Skylar Amelia?"

Sparky glanced to Skipper, trying to read the Corsair's quite unreadable expression to guess what he was thinking. But something in Sparky's mind told him he could leave confidently. "Um, sure. I, uh, better go see if Chug needs help with…anything…" He exited the hanger, shutting the doors behind him and braving the storm as he hurried to the Fill N' Fly.

Skipper turned to Sky, pushing the scissor lift over. "Skylar Amelia, climb up on here. I want you to be at my eye level." Sky stared at Skipper in surprise, but she obeyed as she raised the scissor lift. She moved to the edge of the lift, where there wasn't a railing, and sat cross-legged on the metal platform. Skipper stared at the girl. "Skylar Amelia, I'm going to make a deal with you. I want you to look me in the eyes and promise you'll never run away from your problems again. Can you do that?"

Sky stared at Skipper for a moment before nodding. She locked her eyes with Skipper's. "I promise I will never run away from my problems ever again. For as long as I live and even in the afterlife."

Skipper smirked briefly before putting on a serious face. "Now, in return for that promise which I _know_ you will keep, I will allow you to look into my memories."

Sky blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"There's a reason I didn't want you to look before, and it's because I didn't want you to see the very memory I'm going to show." Skipper explained. "I'm trusting you with this because I want you to understand why I am the way I am. This is a major risk I'm taking by showing you this memory, but you made me a promise and I'm willing to trust you."

Sky stared at Skipper as he rolled closer to the platform. She felt a bit of excitement, but then nervousness. What would she see when she used her powers to make this connection? Was it possible she was in over her head with this one? But she swallowed back her fears and moved to lie on her stomach, scooting herself out to rest her hands on Skipper's engine. She locked eyes with him, and he gave a small nod. Sky took in a breath, letting it out slowly and setting her head on the cool metal of the Corsair. She closed her eyes and focused on her powers, reaching out to connect her consciousness with Skipper's. When she opened her eyes, the blue-green irises turned snow-white. Skipper's eyes did the same, and Sky was pulled into his memories.

* * *

 _Clouds below and clear skies above told her she was flying high through the air. Specifically where, she had no idea. The sound of multiple engines meant she wasn't alone. But as much as Sky wanted to see who flew beside her, she knew it was impossible. By connecting to Skipper's memory, she would see everything through his eyes. His thoughts from the memory echoed in her head._

We're almost done. _Skipper thought._ Just a few more miles and we'll be able to report back to the Flysenhower.

" _Looks like a quiet milk run, eh Skipper?" a man asked, patting Skipper's cockpit. Sky suddenly became aware of the human rider on the Corsair._

" _Look, Skipper!" one of the planes beside him called. "Enemy ship, two o'clock low two miles!" Skipper's eyes moved to settle on a navy ship down on the ocean below, most of the rest of the ocean covered by clouds. "Easy pickings, what do you say?"_

" _Negative, Jigsaw 2." Skipper said. "Our orders are to recon and report back."_

" _Ah come, Skip. It'll be a turkey shoot!" the younger Corsair encouraged. The other planes and human riders voiced their agreements, even the human riding Skipper._

 _The eldest Corsair looked down towards the ship._ It's only one ship….and these guys can handle that, right? _"All right. Let's go in for a closer look. But keep your distance!" He and the rest of the Corsairs tilted their wings and dove down, disappearing into the clouds and readying their guns. Sky watched in amazement, wondering what could happen that would cause Skipper to hesitate in showing her this memory._

 _Suddenly, there was a barrage of gunfire, and the warplanes broke through the clouds to see not just the one ship, but many more. "Holy cow it's the whole enemy fleet!" one of the Corsairs gasped._

Pull up… _Sky thought desperately, only to see the Corsairs still flying towards the ships._ Why won't you pull up?

 _Suddenly, one of the Corsairs beside Skipper exploded from being hit. "Get out of there, Lucas!" Skipper shouted, only for his comrade to be shot down as well. It was nothing but gunfire and explosions and screaming. So much screaming. Sky heard a man scream, much closer than the others. Then, one of the ships managed to fire a shot that hit Skipper and he started spiraling out of the sky and into the ocean._

* * *

Sky broke the connection, scrambling backwards and her back hitting the railing of the scissor lift. She panted, her eyes wide with horror. Skipper stared back with a sad gaze, and Sky slowly managed to calm down. She stared at Skipper, something she seemed unable to stop doing all evening, and the Corsair sighed heavily.

"It was in a place called Glendal Canal." Skipper said. "My squadron were all rookies, even the psyche human riders that rode some of them. One of those psych-mans impressed me enough to be allowed to ride me during that patrol. It was supposed to be a milk run. When they spotted that ship, my first instinct was to turn back to the Flysenhower to report back. But they all sounded so confident. I had no reason to doubt their skills; I trained every single one of them. By the time we got below the clouds, it was too late to pull up." He closed his eyes, pain from his old wounds seeming to flare up. "My psych-man rider was shot clean off me. My entire squadron, plane and human alike and all under _my_ command, were killed." He opened his eyes to look at Sky, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I haven't flown since then, so guilt-ridden that my one mistake cost them their lives." He took in a ragged breath, trying to hold his tears at bay. "If I had only refused….if I had just ignored them….maybe they'd still be alive."

For some reason, Sky doubted that. If what she saw in the memory and heard from Skipper's story was true, she would guess a couple of the over-eager Corsairs might've gone so far as to disobey Skipper and dive down anyway. But she didn't say anything for a long time. Skipper was silent, tears streaming down the sides of his nose and to the floor.

"So…" Sky finally spoke. "…you're broken….."

Skipper sighed. "….yes….."

"Th-that's okay." Sky said in a soft voice. "I'm broken too."

Skipper stared at Sky, and he found tears trickled down the girl's cheeks. She moved to the controls of the scissor lift and slowly lowered herself down to Skipper's wing. She climbed onto the Corsair's wing and moved up to his cockpit, the warplane staring at her with a bit of confusion. But she simply pressed her hand against Skipper's side and ran it alongside him as she hugged him as best she could. The raven-haired girl pressed herself as close to Skipper as she could, her tears dripping down and landing on his metal hide with a soft _plip._ Skipper sighed heavily, slumping on his landing gear and letting his tears fall free.

By the time Sparky returned, he discovered Sky and Skipper fast asleep. Sky curled up on Skipper's wing, breathing evenly. Skipper looked peaceful, even with the tear stains on his nose. Sparky smiled softly, gently draping a blanket across the girl before turning the lights to the hanger off.

"Sleep well, guys." Sparky whispered, moving off to his section of the hanger to turn in.

* * *

The next morning, Rosa arrived to bring Sky back to the orphanage. She hugged the girl as tightly as she could, crying in relief and worriedly checking her over for injuries. She thanked Sparky and Skipper at least a thousand times, looking so relieved she might fall over.

Sky stared at the ground as she turned towards Skipper. "Thank you for taking care of me, Commander Riley. I'm sorry if I was a bother."

Skipper hid his surprise with a small frown, staring at Sky sorrowfully. "You're welcome. It wasn't any trouble at all." He watched as Sky climbed into Chug's trailer, the fuel truck having graciously offered to take her and Rosa back to Sterling. Sky never looked back once. Skipper was hardly aware of Rosa thanking him again before she joined Sky and Chug drove off.

Back at the orphanage, Rosa didn't scold Sky or punish her in any way. She was too happy to have her back safe and sound to be angry. Sky never responded much to Rosa, moving slowly as she journeyed up to her room and curled up on her bed. She grabbed the firefighting helmet Max gave her, cuddling it like a teddy bear as she stared off into space. Rosa left the girl alone, only checking on her twice to bring her lunch and dinner, neither of which she actually ate. She'd be lying if Rosa said she wasn't still worried about Sky, but for the first time she didn't have the slightest clue on what she could do to help.

That night, Sky cried herself to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know if Skipper's official title was Commander, but I'm going with it because it seems to make sense. It also rolls of the tongue so nicely. Plus, no matter where I looked I couldn't find anything that had Skipper's official Navy rank canon to the movies.**

 **Almost done with this arc! Hope you're all enjoying despite the severe angst moments.**


	36. Pre-P: My Hero

Chapter Ten: My Hero

"'In conclusion, my daddy is my hero because he's the big CEO of his company and that makes him the boss of everyone. He does a good job making sure his workers stay in line and I know nobody can be better than him.'" Mrs. Johnson and her fourth graders clapped, albeit slowly, as the blonde girl at the front of the room gave a bow.

"Well done, Samantha." Mrs. Johnson complimented, hiding her slight discomfort with how Samantha described her father. "Your father must have quite an interesting job." Samantha smiled broadly, casting a cocky smirk at Sky as she journeyed back to her seat. Sky didn't even notice, staring at her desk like she did the entire day. Mrs. Johnson looked to her roster. She knew these essays were mostly meant to be opinionated, so it's not like she could dock Samantha's grade for her attitude towards what being a "hero" meant. "So, class, it looks like our last reader is Skylar Doe. Skylar? Ready?"

"Yes, Mrs. Johnson." Sky said softly, picking up her essay and walking to the front of the room. Mrs. Johnson clapped and Sky's classmates clapped, gave small honks, tapped their wheels on the ground, or tapped their forks depending on the species. Sky turned to face her classmates, looking down to her essay. She rewrote it again during lunch, her crumpled version still stuffed in her math textbook.

Sky took a deep breath, then began speaking. "At first, I didn't have a hero. I didn't have anyone I looked up to or admired enough to call them a 'hero.' So, I decided to write my essay on a war hero. He's a Commander and former flight instructor for the Jolly Wrenches, some of the toughest, meanest flyers in all the Navy. And, like most of the Jolly Wrenches, he was indeed very tough and maybe a little mean. But he knew his stuff. He could teach anyone to fly, and he even worked with psyche humans to help them learn how to work with the other flyers in the Wrenches.

"When I first met him, I thought I hated the Navy Commander. Soon, I found out I was wrong. As time went by, and I learned more and more about this war hero, he actually _became_ my hero. He taught me so much about life and I know the way I live my life will never be the same. He taught me Volo Pro Veritas. In Latin, it means 'I fly for truth.' But, as my hero taught me, the actual translation of this motto is different from how each Jolly Wrench interprets it. For some, it could mean 'honesty is excellence.' For others, it might mean 'I will fight for the right reasons.' To me…..it means loyalty. To stand by what you believe, to stand by the ones you care about, and to never give up on others.

"Our heroes aren't always what they seem. Bravery and kindness can often hide a dark and broken past. My hero saw many things as a warplane, and I'd be willing to bet he still gets nightmares about it. But he doesn't show it. Who would, after all? Even I don't like to talk about my nightmares. Our heroes, whether they're soldiers or firemen or our own parents, deserve our admiration and respect more than anyone else. They do things and they deal with issues we can't even imagine. We fear the idea of going into battle but they face it head-on. They will never show you how upset they are or how much pain they may be feeling because they know we're looking up to them, looking to them for strength when we don't have enough.

"The next time you see your hero, look them in the eyes and tell them how much they mean to you. Tell them how much you admire and maybe even love them. It might just be the one thing they need to hear." Sky looked to her classmates. Several of the students had tears in their eyes, sniffling a bit. Samantha slumped low in her seat, discretely pushing her essay under her books. Sky shifted a bit from one foot to the other. "That's it."

The class began clapping, tapping their forks or wheels, and honking their horns, much louder than before. Sky moved back to her seat without a word. She cast small smiles to her classmates when they complimented her on her essay.

When the bell rang, Mrs. Johnson called Sky aside. The human teacher was smiling broadly. "Well done, Skylar! That was your best work and one of the best essays I've ever heard! I still have to grade it and all, but I can assure you that you've done well enough to pass and move on to the next grade. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Sky said, smiling a bit. But the moment was too bittersweet for the girl, because she knew passing on to the next grade wouldn't stop her from being transferred. When she turned to leave the classroom, her smile fell away in an instant. Her classmates didn't tease her like they used to. Instead, they complimented her on a great essay, but she barely acknowledged them as she slowly made her way back to the orphanage.

* * *

For the next week, Sky kept her depressed demeanor. She usually only left her room to eat or go to school. If she wasn't in her room, she would sit in the living room and lounge on the couch, staring out the window. She refused to play with the other children, despite their constant invitations. Everyone could tell she was upset, but she refused to talk about it. She didn't go to Propwash Junction or radio Sparky, her heart heavy at the thought of doing such things.

Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Getty congratulated her for passing the fourth grade, asking about this the miracle worker who managed to change her for the better in a week when they couldn't do it in a year. Sky only replied "My hero." Their amazement made Sky wonder just how Skipper could change her so quickly. He seemed impressed by how well of a job she did with her chores, and the surprise she saw in his eyes sparked something inside her. Smugness? No, pride. Pride, because for once she did something that caused a positive reaction out of someone else. From there, she felt this small tug of motivation to continue trying to please Skipper, to see those surprised and even impressed expressions on the Corsair. It saddened her to think about him, though, so she did everything she could to block out her memories of working for Skipper.

Nothing worked.

Finally, her eleventh birthday came. It was the Saturday after the last day of school. Sky spent the morning in bed, not even going down for breakfast. But her stomach rumbled at lunchtime, so she forced herself out of bed and wandered downstairs to the kitchen. Most of the other children were already there, eating their own lunches. They all wished Sky a happy birthday as she passed them, but she only offered a weak smile in thanks. She made herself a sandwich and moved to the living room to eat. Normally, Rosa kept a strict rule that eating was meant to be done outside or in the kitchen, but Sky didn't think she'd be too hard on her.

"Hey _chica."_ Rosa greeted as she passed the living room. "When you're done with your lunch, I need you to pack your things."

Sky looked up in surprise. The kitchen was right next to the living room with an open arch between the two rooms, allowing the orphans in there to hear their foster mother. They all stared at Rosa in surprise, just like Sky. "Um…what?" Sky asked, finally finding her voice.

"You need to pack your things." Rosa said. "You're leaving today."

"I thought I had until tomorrow." Sky said.

Rosa looked down. "Something came up. Just…..let me know when you're ready." She walked off. Sky stared after her, sighing heavily. But she finished her lunch, set her dishes in the kitchen sink, and trudged upstairs to her room. She pulled her suitcase out from under her bed, an old wheeling suitcase Rosa got in a garage sale. She always made sure every orphan had a suitcase for when they moved to their new homes. Only this time, Sky would just be going to a new foster family. She plopped the suitcase onto her bed, folding up her blanket and placing it inside. She really didn't own much: a set of pajamas, an extra pair of overalls, some underwear and socks, her school stuff all in her backpack, and an old plane figurine she found in a "Free" box at a garage sale. She stared at the toy, realizing at once it was a Corsair. _How ironic._ She thought, tossing the toy into her suitcase. She found Max's firefighting helmet and placed it inside, zipping up her suitcase and grabbing her backpack. Sky stopped at the doorway of her room, taking a look around. Six years she spent in this room; it was hard to believe someone else could be living here soon. Rosa would no doubt take the radio on the desk and put it back in storage or somewhere else in the house. Sighing, Sky moved downstairs and announced to Rosa she was ready. The Hispanic woman called her neighbor to watch the orphans and then called for a taxi. Sky loaded her things into the backseat before joining Rosa in the taxi, standing on the seat and leaning out the window. The children of the orphanage called out to her, bidding her goodbye and wishing her good luck. They all assumed she was going to a new family, not to meet a social worker at a courthouse. Still, Sky put on a smile and waved as the taxi pulled away. When the cab rounded a corner, the raven-haired girl sat back in her seat and stared at the ground.

 _Goodbye Sparky. Goodbye Chug and Mayday and Max and Dottie and Dusty and Leadbottom and Brodi and….everyone…_ Sky blinked a few times to keep her tears back. _Goodbye Skipper._


	37. Pre-P: Propwash Party Part Two

Chapter Eleven: Propwash Party Part Two

At first, Sky didn't think much about the long drive. But when she looked out the window an hour later, she blinked in surprise to see corn fields instead of Sterling's buildings. The taxi drove into Propwash Junction, stopping at the Fill N' Fly to refuel. "We're here!" the yellow cab announced.

Sky felt confusion overtake her as she climbed out of the taxi, grabbing her bags. Rosa thanked the cab and moved with Sky off to one side. "Rosa?" Sky asked. "What are we doing here?"

"It's a birthday gift for you." Rosa said. "You can spend the afternoon with Skipper and Sparky."

"No, Rosa, I don't think that's a good idea." Sky said, staring at the ground.

"Why not?" Rosa asked.

Sky sighed. "You know those stupid scenes in movies when you're in the car driving away and you keep staring at the person still out on the street as they disappear? I'd like to _not_ live that out."

"Oh come on, _chica._ " Rosa encouraged her along as they walked towards the hanger at the end of the runway. "It'll be fun. I haven't seen you really smile all week." Sky sighed, not having the strength to argue and simply letting Rosa guide her down the runway. They reached the hanger and Rosa knocked on the doors. " _Señor_ Sparky! _Señor_ Riley! _Estaban aquí!"_

"Coming!" Sparky's voice called cheerily from inside. Sky sighed again, putting on a small smile for Sparky's sake.

When the hanger doors opened, Sky's jaw dropped in shock. The entire main room of the hanger was decorated with streamers and balloons all over the place. A banner hung on the back wall read "Happy Birthday Sky!" Sparky had a party hat on, a wide smile on his face. Skipper smiled too, just not as wide as Sparky.

Sky finally managed to find her voice. "Wh-what is all this?"

"We wanted to celebrate your birthday!" Sparky said. "Now come in!"

"Guys, you didn't have to do that." Sky said, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"It's not much, really." Skipper assured.

"Yeah, but we have cake and presents!" Sparky said. "Chug was gonna bring a piñata, but he ate all the candy from inside and now he's stuck at home with a stomachache."

Sky giggled. "That sounds like Chug." She sighed, smiling. "All right. I guess I can stay a while."

"Sure you can." Rosa assured.

"And Ms. Rosa, you're welcome to join us." Skipper invited.

" _Gracias."_ Rosa nodded as Sky set her things down. Sparky disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a rectangular cake that had Sky's name and a big number 11 on the front. Sparky stuck several candles into the cake, lighting them all with a small torch and allowing Sky to blow them out. The cake was cut and eaten, the four of them chatting away.

"So how was your last week of school?" Sparky asked Sky.

"Really good." Sky said. "My classmates actually didn't bug me after I read my report."

"Hey, that's good news." Skipper said. "Made an impact on them, huh?"

"I guess they were impressed." Sky shrugged.

"Just as they should be." Rosa assured.

Sky laughed. "I guess. But, on an even better note, I got an A+ on my essay. It's the best grade I've ever gotten on….well, anything."

"Congratulations." Skipper said. "You really earned that grade."

"Thanks." Sky said gratefully. "I couldn't have exactly done it without you and Sparky."

"I'm glad it worked out." Skipper said. "Sparky says he gets quite a few compliments about how great the hanger looks thanks to your work. Mayday and Max tell me if you want a summer job, they'll hire you out as a cleaning lady."

Sky rolled her eyes. "As if." They all laughed, but Sky's face fell. She stared at the ground, rubbing her cake plate with her thumb.

"Something wrong, _chica_?" Rosa asked.

Sky looked to her foster mother. "Um…..when is that social worker expecting us? I wanna know how much time I have left here. You know, so I can have time to tell Chug and Mayday and Max goodbye." Rosa said nothing, only smiling and tousling Sky's hair. Sky stared at her in confusion, wondering why Rosa wouldn't answer the question. Unless she had even less time than she thought.

"So, you think I could go say goodbye to them now before I run out of time?" Sky asked, a pleading look coming to her eyes.

Sparky and Skipper exchanged looks before the former spoke up. "Hey, why don't we give you your presents now?"

"You guys didn't have to get me anything." Sky said. "I'm not going to be able to carry much."

"Don't worry about it." Sparky assured. "We both have two gifts to give you and transporting them won't be a problem." He disappeared into the back room before emerging with a large box and a small box in his forks. "The small one's mine. Open it!"

Sky giggled at Sparky's enthusiasm, and she took the smaller of the two boxes. The tag on the ribbon read "To Soarin' Sky, with love from your little Sparkplug." Sky smiled warmly and gently tore off the wrapping paper. Opening the box, Sky found a necklace made from white puka shell beads and round, sky blue beads. "Wow, pretty! Thanks, Sparkplug."

"It's not much, but I figured you'd like it." Sparky shrugged.

Sky nodded in appreciation, setting the necklace aside and picking up the larger box. This one was from Skipper, if the tag was correct. She ripped the paper off, lifting the lid of the box and gawking. "No way!" She lifted a Navy Commander jacket from the box, the Jolly Wrench insignia stitched into the back and over the left side of the front. "Is this real?"

"You bet." Skipper nodded. "An old buddy gifted it to me. He said, and I quote, 'This is not a decoration to be put on a wall. It's a jacket and it's meant to be worn and used.'"

Sky laughed and pulled the jacket on. It was quite a few sizes too big, but she didn't care as she hugged herself. The Jolly Wrench insignia on the front of the jacket rested right over her heart, only making her smile grow. "Thanks, Skipper."

"But wait, that's not all!" Sparky said in a singsong voice.

"Guys, this alone is too much!" Sky laughed. "And I still have to go see everyone else."

"Just be quiet and let yourself be spoiled." Sparky ordered, making Sky laugh more. "And now, for my second gift!" Sparky rolled to a corner of the hanger blocked off with a curtain, which Sky somehow never noticed until now, and he pulled the curtain back. Resting in the corner of the hanger was a bed and several boxes of girl things: bedding, clothes, books, and some toys. Sky's face fell into one full of shock and some confusion. There was no way she could carry all that to her foster home in Colorado. She looked to Skipper for an explanation.

Skipper smiled warmly. "And now, for _my_ second gift." He looked to Rosa, who reached into her bag and pulled out a manila folder. She handed the folder to Sky, and the raven-haired girl opened it up to find papers inside. She stared at the paperwork, mostly paying attention to a certain Certificate of Adoption.

 _This is to certify that_

 _Skylar Amelia_  
_ _has been formally adopted_

 _Into the_ _Riley Family__

 _By_ _Commander Skipper Riley__

Sky was silent, staring at the papers. Skipper rolled a little closer to the girl. "I know we didn't exactly get along when we first met, Skylar Amelia. But make no mistake: I truly have grown to care for you. It wouldn't feel right to let you leave when you already have people that care about you here." Sky still didn't say anything, and Skipper continued. "I want to try being a father, and I want you to live here with Sparky and me. You can get to know the people of Propwash better and you could have a family; you could be happy here, and nobody would ever take you away. Sparky and I will take good care of you. I promise."

Suddenly, Sky dropped the paperwork and ran over to Skipper, jumping onto his wing to better reach his cockpit. She gave him her best and biggest hug, happy tears streaming from her eyes. Skipper leaned into her touch, sighing happily. Rosa blinked, but couldn't stop her own joyful tears, and Sparky couldn't stop smiling.

"Thank you." Sky whispered. "Thank you for giving me a home and a family."

Skipper chuckled a bit. "And thank _you,_ Skylar Amelia Riley, for not giving up on me so easily."

Sky smiled broadly. Skylar Amelia Riley. Had a rather nice ring to it. She may have left Sterling, but Propwash Junction would be a perfect place to live. She already had great friends, and now a fantastic family to look out for her. She could learn more about everyone here. She finally found somewhere where she belonged. No longer would she call herself an orphan or hate herself for being a psyche human. That was all behind her because of what happened in this one moment.

 _I'm home._ Sky thought.

THE END

* * *

 **A/N: For a moment, I thought about what would've happened if Sky had been transferred, but I definitely like the happier ending! So that's the end of Part Four! Coming up, we'll see Sky's role in the** _ **Planes**_ **movies, where she'll learn how to use her powers to help a friend and accomplish their dream.**


	38. P: Unstoppable

**A/N: Behold, Part Five! And here's the summary: Sky and Dusty are simple farm folk from Propwash Junction, with the shared dream of becoming world-class racers. As their journey around the world continues, they'll meet new friends, battle enemies, and learn what it truly means to work as a team.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Co-Pilots**

Chapter One: Unstoppable

Skylar Amelia "Sky" Riley paused in her singing and strumming as the sound of a whistle rang out in the distance. She brightened up, smiling broadly. "Quitting time!" She gently set her guitar down on her bed and jumped off, checking herself out in the full-length mirror on the wall. Her long, jet-black hair reached down to her waist, held back by a black/grey/white camouflage bandana. She brushed off her dark navy jeans and straightened out her dark grey T-shirt, smiling proudly at the black Jolly Wrench insignia printed on the front of the shirt. The seventeen-year-old quickly found her black Converse sneakers and laced them on her feet, jumping up and racing towards the door. But the sound of Skipper clearing his throat made her screech to a halt, and she spun around to face her adoptive father. He gestured towards the back room, and Sky suddenly remembered she was supposed to clean the kitchen today.

"Oh, right. Uh, I can finish that when I get back. I'll do it tonight, before I go to bed. I promise." She gave Skipper her best pout, silently pleading for him to let her go. Skipper stared at her for a moment before jerking his nose towards the hanger doors, allowing her to go. She hugged his wing and gave him a kiss. "Thanks Dad! Love you!" She turned and took off, grabbing her radio from the nail on the wall on her way out. She jogged out to about halfway down the runway, waiting patiently for Dusty to come in. She waved and greeted the other Propwash Junction residents as they passed, her blue-green eyes sparkling as she adjusted her headset onto her skull and tucked her radio into one pocket.

" _This is Dust Storm to Soarin' Sky!"_ Dusty called into the radio. _"Come in, Soarin' Sky! Over."_

"This is Soarin' Sky to Dust Storm." Sky said into her mic.

" _Ready for practice, co-pilot?"_ Dusty asked.

"You bet!" Sky nodded, waving to the crop duster as he came down onto the runway. Sky took off running, Dusty rolling up beside her and dipping a wing to better help the energetic teen to jump up. She carefully yet quickly climbed across his wing to the metal bar and backrest between Dusty's canopy and his radio antennae, hopping onto the plane and wrapping the harness around her. Once the harness was securely strapped to the bar, she looked to the small side view mirror on Dusty's left, allowing the two to lock eyes.

"Ready?" Dusty asked, noticing they were nearing the end of the runway.

"Locked and loaded! Let's fly!" Sky urged, grabbing old of the bar like preparing for a roller coaster ride. Although, the teen often claimed riding Dusty was like riding a roller coaster. Dusty lifted up off the runway, taking off again into the skies. Sky leaned her head back and let the wind wash over her face, and she sighed in content. Dusty noticed and laughed a bit before calling Chug.

"This is Dusty Crophopper to Chug." Dusty said. "Over."

" _Chug isn't here!"_ the fuel truck said into the radio.

"It certainly _sounds_ like Chug." Sky laughed.

"Oh, right." Dusty caught on. "This is Strut Jetstream calling Turbo Coach Truck-zilla. Ready for practice?"

" _You betcha, Strut!"_ Chug said.

"Some call signs!" Sky laughed.

"He still calls you Soarin' Sky!" Dusty noted, whooping and laughing as he turned and headed back towards the fields where he, Chug, and Sky liked to practice. He knife edged the flags on Skipper's hanger, coming mere inches from the roof. Sky could almost see Skipper's disdainful scowl, the look he usually wore when he saw Dusty practicing.

"Easy there, Dusty!" Sky called. "You almost took the roof off my house!"

"Sorry!" Dusty called.

" _Hey Soarin' Sky!"_ Chug said into their radios. _"I got you two in sight. Connection up yet?"_

"One sec!" Sky readjusted her grip on the bar she was strapped to, focusing her psyche human powers. Dusty focused too, and soon they both felt a pull in their heart/engine that told them the connection went through. "Okay, Chug! We're all connected and ready to go!"

" _All right!"_ Chug cheered. Dusty's engine roared as he shot off, making wide turns and pushing his torque as far as it would go. Sky leaned into the backrest from the momentum, keeping the connection up to increase Dusty's speed and strength. _"Come on, buddy, keep it goin'!"_ Chug encouraged, watching the pair from his perch on a cliff.

"What else you got?" Dusty asked.

" _Okay. Now let's try some tree line moguls!"_ Chug said. Dusty shot off, Sky whooping and laughing the entire time.

"You go, Dusty!" Sky cheered. "Atta boy! Yes!"

" _Adjust your angle of bank with your alien irons!"_ Chug called, no doubt reading from his _Air Racing for Dummies_ book.

"You mean 'ailerons.'" Dusty corrected, much to Sky's amusement.

" _Oh, yeah."_ Chug said.

 _POP!_

Smoke suddenly began streaming from one of Dusty's exhaust pipes on his nose, and Sky felt a small pinch of pain, forcing her to break the connection.

"Oh, great." Dusty groaned.

Sky groaned too. "You better land." Dusty reluctantly obeyed, screeching to a halt on the tarmac of Propwash Junction's airport and then rolling towards town. Sky unbuckled herself from the harness and hopped down to Dusty's wing, inspecting the smoke coming from the crop duster's pipes. "Great. Dottie's gonna kill you."

"Let's just hope she doesn't realize _how_ this happened." Dusty said.

"She's a lot smarter than you think." Sky pointed out. Her face turned serious. "Dusty, this isn't the first time this has happened. You've really gotta take care of yourself."

"I know." Dusty said.

"I'm serious, Dusty." Sky said. "When we make our connection, I can feel when there's something physically wrong. We can't be having things like this happening during the Wings Around the Globe Rally. If we flame out during the qualifiers, we'll be done before we've even started."

"I know!" Dusty assured. "Look, you worry too much."

"Or maybe you don't worry enough." Sky smirked, giving Dusty a playful shove. "Just go have Dottie fix you up. No way are we going to be doing much practice tonight."

"Aw man." Dusty pouted.

"Hey, don't worry." Sky assured. "We're killing it out there. Besides, I have chores to get done tonight if I want to be free this weekend for the qualifier." She patted the crop duster's canopy. "See you tomorrow, Dust Storm!"

"Take it easy, Soarin' Sky!" Dusty called as Sky jumped off his wing and began jogging back home.

* * *

Sky was right; Dottie was _not_ pleased when she found out Dusty wore out his main oil seal from racing around the corn fields. She seemed to feel the need to explain, _again_ , that Dusty was built to dust crops and not race, even going so far as to list all the things that would go wrong if he pushed it too hard in vivid and specific detail. Dusty invited her to come with them to the qualifier, to which she didn't give a straight answer. But she did warn Dusty about putting Sky in danger while doing these stunts. Dusty knew she had a point there; Sky's psych-man abilities allowed him to be stronger and faster while they race, but if he got hurt his injuries could possibly carry through the connection and into Sky. The raven-haired teen explained her abilities briefly to Dusty, but not skipping any important details such as that. Still, Sky was pretty tough. Surely she could handle a few minor bumps and bruises. And who's to say Dusty would actually hurt himself all that badly?

So he wasn't worried. Especially not when he and Chug settled down in his hanger and watched RSN that evening. The Wings Around the Globe Rally was just two weeks away, and Dusty could practically feel his excitement bubbling up inside him.

When Dusty and Chug started watching RSN's Top Ten Crashes, Dusty's confidence began to waver. He winced in sympathy at the sight of planes taking nosedives right off runway platforms, rip through pylons and crash to the ground, and just overall looking like they were in quite a bit of pain.

Chug glanced to his _Air Racing for Dummies_ book. "Uh, Dusty? I'm starting to think this may not cover all

"What do you mean?" Dusty asked, sounding nervous himself.

Chug stammered a bit. "I'm just wondering if maybe we need…..some help."

"Help?" Dusty repeated. "From who?"

"Oh, well, like uh….." Chug thought for a moment. "Skylar's dad, the Skipper?"

"That old Corsair down at the end of the runway?" Dusty asked incredulously. Despite his friendship with Sky, Dusty never exactly met Skipper before. He only saw him a couple times in person, even after Sky moved to Propwash Junction. It was hard to believe the reclusive old warplane had it in him to adopt a kid.

"Sure! He's a war hero." Chug said.

"He's an old crankshaft." Dusty rolled his eyes. "Sky's dad or not."

"My buddy Sparky says the Skipper was a legendary flight instructor in the Navy!" Chug protested. "He knows stuff."

"If he knows stuff, why doesn't Sky just ask him?" Dusty scoffed.

"Maybe she never thought about it." Chug suggested. "We didn't until just now."

"He's been grounded for decades." Dusty protested. "Why would I want to be coached by a plane who doesn't even fly?"

"At least _he's_ a plane." Chug noted. The two of them turned back to the TV to see the number one crash, wincing in sympathy. An explosion happened, leaving the crop duster and fuel truck staring in shock. "Still don't want to see Skipper?"

"Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask." Dusty finally agreed. "Yeah, let's go." He and Chug hurried from the hanger and made their way towards the edge of town. But Dusty couldn't help feeling nervous. Sky, as kind as she could be, was also tough as nails; if angered or even just irritated, she wouldn't hesitate to give anyone a piece of her mind or put her fist in their face. If she learned that from Skipper, did Dusty even _want_ to know what the Corsair was like?

* * *

Sky hummed softly, plucking her guitar a bit as she lounged back in her bed. Luckily, she finished all her chores shortly after returning home from her brief practice with Dusty. Skipper gave her the all-clear, but she could tell he was reluctant to let her go to those qualifiers this weekend. Maybe it was because of her friendship with Dusty. She first met Dusty on one of her first trips to Propwash, but she didn't really become his friend until she was twelve. He noticed she would often stand on the edge of the cliff near the runway, spreading her arms out and letting the updraft blow against her so she could pretend to fly. Dusty managed to convince Dottie to hook him up with the backrest and handlebar to give Sky the true experience of flying. They grew close over the years, sharing the dream of being racers together. Sky loved the feeling of riding Dusty through the air, feeling like she could actually fly herself.

Now, she was content to relaxing in her bed, trying to learn a new song on her guitar. Still ever the music fan, if Sky wasn't doing her chores or practicing with Dusty, she could often be found with her guitar in her lap and singing softly.

 _Ding dong_

Sky looked up, pausing in her strumming to stare towards the door quizzically. _I wonder who that could be at this hour._ Sparky helped Skipper roll up to the hanger doors and slide them open, allowing the Corsair to glare at whoever stood outside.

"Hey, there…Skipper…." A familiar voice greeted from just beyond the doors.

"Dusty?" Sky whispered, standing from her bed and moving from behind the curtained area that was her room. Sure enough, she could see the crop duster standing right outside the hanger doors.

"Say, I'm trying out for the Wings Around the Globe Rally." Dusty explained, sounding nervous. No surprise, given Skipper's great size compared to him and the fact that the Corsair radiated with a dominating energy. Dusty tried to keep the conversation casual. "And I know you can't fly anymore."

Sky face palmed. _You idiot._ Skipper's glare deepened as he looked down at Dusty.

Dusty caught his mistake. "But, uh, you know…..they say 'Those who can't do, teach.' So….." He gulped. "Okay, what I mean to say is…..you're not a truck. So I was wondering if you would train me…?"

Skipper continued to glare at Dusty as he slammed the hanger doors shut. Sky sighed. "Dad." She groaned.

 _Ding dong._

Skipper opened the hanger doors again to see Dusty hadn't moved from his spot. "So I heard you shot down fifty planes." Dusty started, as though that would be a better conversation starter.

"You looking to be number fifty-one?" Skipper growled.

Conversation shot.

"No." Dusty said. The hanger doors began sliding shut again, and he panicked a bit. "Wait! I was just thinking that with my guts and your glory—"

"Your guts would be a grease spot on a runway somewhere." Skipper interrupted, the glare still in his eyes. "Go home. You're in over your head, kid!" The hanger doors slammed shut again, the lights of the hanger shutting off and effectively ending the talk.

Sky crossed her arms and tapped her foot, casting a look at Skipper. "Was that necessary? Remember how we first met?"

"There's a difference between you and that crop duster." Skipper said as he settled down to sleep.

"What's that?" Sky asked.

"I just wanted to scare you off. I want to _kill_ him." Skipper replied.

Sky rolled her eyes, walking towards the back door to the hanger and slipping outside. She jogged around the hanger and found Chug and Dusty making their way back to town. "Hey! Chug! Dusty!"

The two vehicles paused as Sky came up. "Oh, hey there Sky." Dusty greeted. "I didn't know you were still up." Then, to his surprise, Sky hopped up on his wing and gave him a quick jab to the canopy with her fist. "OW! What was that for?"

"Because you're an idiot." Sky droned, putting her hands on her hips. "What were you thinking asking my dad for help?"

"Well, we just thought that since he's a plane and I'm not—" Chug started.

"Did you really think that through before coming here?" Sky asked. Chug and Dusty exchanged looks, and Sky groaned. "Look, I know you guys might be a little nervous about the qualifiers. But asking my _dad_ , Commander Skipper Riley the warplane, for help?"

"What's the problem?" Dusty asked.

"Do you have any idea how much convincing and begging I had to do for him to let me go to the qualifiers with you?" Sky scoffed. "News flash, my friend: he actually doesn't like you very much."

"Why's that?" Dusty asked, sounding a little insulted.

"Because you go flying around like a maniac with his precious baby girl on your back." Sky said with a small laugh. "His words, not mine."

"Come on, Sky. Surely he's not _that_ protective." Chug said.

"Two words: Jolly Wrench." Sky said.

"I stand corrected." Chug admitted.

Sky looked to Dusty. "Listen: we're going to be fine. We're going to rock it at those qualifiers and we're going to kill it at the Rally. But do yourself a favor and don't ever ask Skipper for help with this again, okay?"

Dusty sighed. "Okay."

"That's my Dust Storm." Sky smiled, giving Dusty a pat on the canopy. "Goodnight, you two." Chug and Dusty bid Sky goodnight as they parted ways and headed home. Sky looked up to the full moon and stars overhead.

 _We're gonna be just fine._ She assured herself. _I know Dusty. Together, we're unstoppable._


	39. P: Reality Check

Chapter Two: Reality Check

Chug honked his horn excitedly. "Hey Dusty! Hey Sky!"

Sky waved from her perch on Dusty. The crop duster dipped a wing in greeting as he flew into the airport in Lincoln, Nebraska for the qualifiers. Sky kept her connection down, saving her energy for the lap. But as Dusty landed and taxied over to meet their friends, Sky couldn't help feeling excited. They finally made it. This was their big chance to show their stuff.

"I don't know how you talked me into coming to this." Dottie groaned as she backed out of the trailer Chug pulled.

"Come on, Dottie." Dusty scoffed.

"Yeah, this is fun!" Sky agreed, standing on Dusty's wing.

" _Ladies and gentleplanes!"_ Someone called over the loudspeaker. Looking up at the sound of an engine revving, everyone could see a sleek, green and black Racing Mustang streaking across the sky, leaving green smoke in his wake.

The Mustang shot through the trail of green smoke, skidding to a halt on the runway. "Ripslinger!" He announced, a flurry of fireworks setting off behind him. He chuckled, moving over for the photographers to snap photos of him.

Dottie and Sky coughed, the four Propwash residents staring incredulously after the racer. "Well, at least he's modest." Dottie noted sarcastically.

"Tell me about it." Sky smirked.

"Dottie, Sky, that's Ripslinger!" Dusty said excitedly.

"He's captain of Team RPX!" Chug added. "They call him—"

"The Green Tornado!" Chug and Dusty said at once.

"He's so good, he's pre-qualified." Dusty explained. He gestured to two smaller planes that flanked Ripslinger, each colored white and green. "And those two: Ned and Zed."

"The Twin Turbos!" Chug and Dusty chimed.

"They're world-class racers." Dusty finished.

"You know, I hear they used to be one plane and were separated at birth." Dottie said teasingly.

"Wow." Chug breathed. "I wish I was separated at birth."

Sky laughed. "I don't think the world is ready for two of you, Chug."

Soon, it was time to begin. The qualifying round was one lap through the pylons set up on the field. A yellow plane, Fonzarelli, spit off to one side before taking off, much to the disgust of the racers around him. Dusty, Sky, Chug, and Dottie watched, like the rest of the audience, in amazement as Fonzarelli took off through the starting gate and began looping through the pylons. Sky heard something about going through the blue pylons on the horizontal and through the red on the knife edge, but she put more of her focus on the track and the potential racers around her. There was quite a range of plane models, but not a single one that even resembled Dusty's build as a crop duster. Sky spotted several human riders, but the youngest looked not a day under thirty. Suddenly, she felt a wave of nervousness. Were they even ready for something like this? But at the sight of Dusty's warm smile, Sky's nerves fell away. They had been practicing for a few years, preparing for this one moment. No way could they fail now; not when they finally came so close.

Dusty and Sky ended up at the bottom of the list of racers to go on, allowing them to check out the competition. A few racers flamed out or received penalties, but other than that it was a matter of who managed to place in the top five spots.

Sky hopped up onto her spot, activating the connection between her and Dusty. She patted the crop duster. "You ready, Dust Storm?"

"Yeah." Dusty took in a breath and let it out slowly. "This is it."

" _From Propwash Junction,"_ Roper, the Rally official, announced. _"Strut Jetstream and Soarin' Sky Riley!"_

"'Strut Jetstream'?" Dottie asked.

"Yep!" Chug confirmed. "Awesomest call sign ever. It was my idea."

"Ah. That explains it." Dottie rolled her eyes. "At least Sky's makes sense."

"That's because I refused the call sign 'Psycho Psychadella.'" Sky noted. Dottie cast a look to Chug, who only smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, ag-plane!" Roper snapped as they passed. "Get off the runway! Second call for Strut Jetstream and Soarin' Sky Riley. Lookin' for—"

"Yo!" Dusty called. "I'm Strut Jetstream and this is my psyche human partner, Sky Riley." Sky gave a wave.

Roper stared, as did most of the audience and other racers. "Okay, the kid I can kind of understand. But you? _You're_ Strut Jetstream? A crop duster?" Immediately, most of the spectators burst into laughter as Dusty rolled forward. "Now you know you're built for seed, not speed?"

"Really?" Sky rolled her eyes. "Never would've guessed."

Ripslinger scoffed. "That farmer's gonna race?"

"Seriously, with a puny human kid like her?" Zed laughed.

"Watch it, punk!" Sky snapped, glaring straight ahead. The spectators around them continued to jibe and laugh, but Sky only readied herself as she gripped the handlebar tightly. "Dusty, don't listen to them. Just do your lap and shove their insults right back down their windpipes."

Dusty smirked a bit. Leave it to Sky to make a motivating speech sound like an aggressive death threat. "Let's do it, co-pilot." His propeller began spinning, and he took a breath before pushing off and lifting into the air.

Dusty shot through the starting gate, making a hard right turn to head through the first pylons. He made it cleanly through the first pylon, but his wing ended up scraping the dirt and grass on his first knife edge. "Easy, Dusty! You got this!" Sky encouraged, pushing more power into the crop duster. Dusty continued on, shooting through the quadruple pylons one way and making a hard, 270-degree high-G turn to come back around. Sky didn't dare look towards the clock, keeping her and Dusty's focus on the lap. "That's it, Dusty! That's it! Keep it up!" She continued to call encouraging words, the support seeming to make Dusty go faster. He shot through the three-pylon chicane, picking up speed as he made his way to the high vertical. Sky encouraged him to climb, her grip tight on the handlebar as Dusty angled up and shot into the air. He made a shallow curve, going upside down for a moment before twisting around and allowing gravity to pull him along to the finish line. He passed through, stopping his time and landing smoothly on the tarmac. Sky punched the air and cheered as Chug and Dottie came up, looking excited.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Chug cheered. Sky and Dusty panted a bit, but smiled nonetheless. Even the spectators around them looked impressed. They quickly turned to the time board to see where they placed.

" _Jetstream and Riley, the official time is one minutes, 24.26 seconds."_ Roper announced. _"Sixth place! But what a close one, people."_

One-tenth of a second. They were only one-tenth of a second behind fifth-place Fonzarelli. Immediately, Dusty's and Sky's faces fell and they slumped down. Chug and Dottie looked equally disappointed, staring mostly at the ground.

"Hey." Fonzarelli said as he approached them. "Sixth place ain't nothing to be ashamed of. That was a heck of a run."

Dusty and Sky forced smiles. "Thanks." They murmured. In fact, many of the audience members and fellow racers complimented them on their great run. But the fact of the matter: their best wasn't enough. It didn't get them into the race. All their hard work had just been shot down.

They failed.

* * *

When they returned to Propwash, Skipper noticed a visible change in his daughter's attitude. She didn't go to racing practice with Dusty anymore. She spent quite a bit of time on her bed, spinning the propeller of her Corsair figurine. If she ever went outside, she usually just sat on the cliff edge staring into the distance or strumming her guitar. Like what she did now; even at seventeen, Sky liked to use music to organize her thoughts, and the songs she sang and played reflected her mood. But Skipper noticed she seemed to be playing rather sad songs for a few days. He never thought he'd see her this depressed. More than that, she seemed disappointed in herself.

 _Finally get tired of hanging out with the crop duster?_ He wondered. _Speaking of which, where is that boy? It's quitting time; they're usually practicing around now._ He had Sparky hook up some binoculars to his wing and he peered out the window towards the fields. Skipper blinked in surprise to find the crop duster simply dusting the crops. No daydreaming or aerobatic stunts or whoops of joy. In fact, he seemed to be flying much lower and slower than he normally did. Skipper pulled the binoculars away, staring in surprise, before casting a look to Sparky. The medic stared back at him, a small, sad frown on his face. Clearly he was a little sad as well that Dusty and Sky didn't make it through the qualifiers.

Skipper stared out the other window to where Sky sat. The raven-haired teen slouched in her spot, her guitar resting beside her. _How could this bother you two so much?_ Skipper wondered. _Did it really mean that much to you?_

* * *

"There ya go!" Chug announced. "Topped off and all set, Mayday!"

Sky gave the lenses a last wipe before holding up the giant pair of glasses she held. "Glasses clean!" She set the eyewear over Mayday's windshield.

"Thanks, you two!" Mayday said gratefully as he rolled off.

"Anytime!" Sky waved goodbye. She and Chug looked up in surprise as a delivery truck suddenly skidded to a halt before them, the back door opening to reveal a very irritated Roper.

"Unbelievable! Why don't you just go back? I mean, I think you actually _missed_ a pothole!" He coughed from the dust and dirt the truck kicked up. "Man, you've got to be the worst, I mean the _worst_ , delivery truck that has ever delivered a delivery!"

Chug and Sky exchanged looks before looking to Roper as he approached. "Can I help you?" Chug asked kindly.

Roper still coughed and gagged a bit. "Please tell me this is Propwash Junction."

"Sure is!" Chug confirmed, Sky nodding in pride.

Roper sighed in relief. "You know, you're not even on the map."

Chug shrugged. "Pretty drive, though, ain't it?"

"Oh yeah, yeah." Roper droned. "Anyway, I'm looking for a Strut Jetstream and Soarin' Sky Riley."

"Who?" Chug asked.

"Strut Jetstream and Sky Riley." Roper repeated.

"Well, I'm Sky Riley, but I've never heard of a Strut Jetstream." Sky said, looking to Chug.

The fuel truck thought for a moment. "Nah, me neither. You got a photo?"

" _No_ I don't have a photo!" Roper snapped. "I have documentation that says Strut Jetstream and Soarin' Sky Riley live in Propwash Junction."

Sky thought for a moment. Then she caught sight of Roper's WAG hat and it clicked. "Oh! Wait a minute." She turned and noticed a certain crop duster passing by. "Hey Dusty! I mean, Strut! Strut Jetstream! You're being paged!"

Dusty perked up at his call sign and rolled over. Chug finally caught on, realizing he almost forgot the call signs since they stopped practicing. "Oh, that's right! There he is, strutting on over here."

"But you're…..mispronouncing it slightly." Dusty told Roper.

"I am?" Roper asked, blinking.

"Not my name." Sky assured.

"Yeah. Mine's actually pronounced…." Dusty paused, wondering if he really wanted to do that. Soon, he decided he did. "Dusty Crophopper."

Roper stared at him for a moment. "Dusty…..Crophopper?"

"Yeah. It's…Scandinavian." Dusty said.

Sky rolled her eyes. "Oh boy."

"Right. And I'm Egyptian." Roper nodded, not convinced.

"Um, Mr. Roper, sir?" Sky piped up. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Are you familiar with the racing fuel additive nitro methane?" Roper asked, looking to his clipboard.

"Oh yeah!" Chug said excitedly. "Zip juice! Go-go punch! That stuff will blur your vision and slur your speech."

"It's illegal." Roper piped up.

"I mean it's totally illegal." Chug corrected, cringing a bit. Dusty and Sky cast their fuel truck friend a look, the latter making a mental note to have a serious talk with Chug later.

"That substance was found in the tank of the fifth-place qualifier, Fonzarelli." Roper explained.

"So?" Sky shrugged.

"Illegal fuel intake is an automatic DQ." Rope said.

Dusty blinked in surprise, stammering. "Wait, so you're saying…."

"He's out, you two are in." Roper concluded with a smile. "Congratulations."

Chug, Sky, and Dusty stared, shocked. "You're in?" Chug repeated.

"We're in." Sky realized.

Chug's face brightened up. "They're in!" He put his fuel nozzle to his lips and gave a shrill whistle, catching the attention of Dottie, Mayday, Sparky, and some of the other residents nearby. "You're never gonna believe this!" Chug called. "They're in! Dusty and Sky are in the race!"

"We're in!" Sky squealed happily, hugging Dusty. "I can't believe it! We're in!" Dusty smiled broadly as everyone gathered around, congratulating them.

"Don't do anything crazy." Dottie warned. "Fly safe."

"Man, it's gonna be cool!" Chug said excitedly. "You're gonna cross oceans thousands of miles wide. Freezing your rudder off one day…."

"And burning it off the next!" Sparky added.

"Freaking hurricanes!" Chug continued.

"Cyclones!"

"Monsoons!"

"Tornadoes!"

"Sandstorms!"

"Gale force winds!"

Sky noticed Dusty's face go from elated to quite terrified as Chug and Sparky listed off the dangerous obstacles that could happen during the race. "Uh, Dusty?"

Dusty seemed to snap out of it. "Uh, I need a minute." He hurried off to his hanger.

Chug laughed. "Probably so excited he doesn't know how to react!" He caught sight of Sky's pointed glare, directed at him and Sparky. "What?"

"Hurricanes? Freezing his rudder off?" Sky scoffed. "Come on, guys! You about gave him an engine attack!"

"What?" Sparky shrugged. "You two might actually run into that kind of stuff."

"Really?" Sky asked, all of a sudden looking a little nervous herself.

"Racing isn't exactly a sport for the meek of heart, you know." Chug pointed out.

Sky groaned, rubbing the back of her head. "Dusty and I were so excited to get into the race. We didn't exactly consider what we might go through. And we're going all around the world, no less!"

"You're not gonna back out, are ya?" Sparky asked.

"Of course not!" Sky assured. "We didn't come this far just to back out now. But let's face it, guys: Dusty and I barely made it into the race. If we're going to survive, much less win, we're going to need some serious coaching from a real coach. No offense, Chug."

"Eh, none taken." Chug assured.

"But isn't that race of yours in a week?" Mayday noted. "Who can coach you in such little time?"

"It's not about who can teach us." Sky said, looking to Sparky. "It's about convincing him to."

Sparky caught on. "You're kidding. Don't you remember what happened when Dusty tried to ask?"

"There's no other choice." Sky said, steeling her nerves. "There's only one plane I know who can make me and Dusty racers by the time the rally starts."

* * *

Sky pulled open the hanger doors to her home and darted inside, Sparky beside her. The teen approached her adoptive father and glared determinedly. "Teach me and Dusty how to race."

"No." Skipper's dull response couldn't come quicker.

"Why not?" Sky complained.

"Because I don't like how you're asking me." Skipper said matter-of-factly. "I raised you better than that."

Sky sighed. "Fine." She straightened up and gave a salute, and Skipper's mouth twitched as he fought a smirk. "Commander Skipper Riley, sir, will you please—"

"No." Skipper said.

"Dad!" Sky whined.

"If you think I'm going to let you go into that race with that crop duster, you've got another thing comin'!" Skipper snapped. "The only reason I let you go into the qualifiers was because I didn't think he'd make it."

"Wow. Confidence booster." Sky droned sarcastically. "Come on, Dad! If I don't race with Dusty, he can't race at all. We registered as a team."

"Tough luck." Skipper growled. Sparky wisely stayed out of the fight, knowing he wouldn't be able to help either party.

"Dad—"

"I said no, Skylar Amelia! This race features the best planes from around the world, and some of them don't finish! You go in there, you could be killed!"

"Not if you trained me and Dusty. You're our only shot."

"That crop duster doesn't stand a chance with or without my help!"

"Why not?"

"He's not built for it!"

Sky groaned. "No duh, he's not built for it. But he believes he can do it and you know what? I believe in him too. I know I'll be fine as long as I'm with him, and we can be champions with your help. Because like it or not, we're going into that race."

"No, you're not." Skipper said firmly.

"Dad, please!" Sky was close to begging. "Dusty and I have been preparing for this for years, and he's been dreaming of this his entire life. Don't let me be the reason he can't follow his dreams."

"You think this is a dream?" Skipper scoffed. "It's not. It's some punk kid biting off more than he can chew, and dragging you down with him."

"It is not!" Sky protested.

"You sure?" Skipper asked.

Sky opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Why _did_ Dusty want to do this so badly? This had to be more than just a passion for him, otherwise he wouldn't want to take it to such great lengths so quickly. She sighed. "Skipper, please. Will you at least train Dusty for the sake of my safety?"

Skipper glared. "No. I'm gonna go knock some sense into that boy's canopy. Sparky, let's go."

"Aye-aye, Skip!" Sparky hurriedly grabbed the hook and began pushing Skipper out of the hanger and down into town.

"No, Dad, please!" Sky complained. "The last time you 'knocked some sense' into a guy's canopy, you nearly knocked his head in!"

"Then you better come with me!" Skipper called, Sparky not pausing. "Make sure I don't kill him!"

"What do you think I've been doing for the past five years?" Sky muttered as she took off after Skipper.


	40. P: Training

Chapter Three: Training

Dusty stared at the map that plotted out the WAG race. The course never looked so daunting before, and it seemed to just occur to Dusty that they were literally going around the world for this race. The weight of the news finally crashed down onto him, and he began to seriously wonder if he and Sky were ready for this. He knew Sky was rippin' and roarin' ready to go, brave enough to take the world by storm. But in the end, _he_ was the flyer. Could he trust himself with not only his own safety but Sky's too?

Dusty heard squeaking of old wheels turning, and he turned to see Skipper standing in the doorway of his hanger, his usual glare still in his eyes. Sparky was pushing him along, per the usual, and Sky sat in the bend of his right wing. She looked a little nervous, but remained silent.

"You'll end up a smokin' hole on the side of a mountain with your parts spread over five countries." Skipper told Dusty.

Dusty glared a bit in irritation. "What makes you say that?"

"You're goin' up against the best racers in the world." Skipper said as Sparky turned him to stare out the window. "You're sloppy on your rolls. Wide on your turns. Slow on your straightaways."

Dusty blinked in surprise. "You've been watching me?"

"Yeah, watching you make a fool out of yourself and my daughter." Skipper scoffed. "You need to be tighter gettin' in and out of your knife-edge. Any extra control input costs you speed and seconds."

"So, I'm overcorrecting?" Dusty guessed. Sky and Dusty exchanged looks, and Dusty felt a smile creep up. "Are you giving me pointers?"

Skipper mentally hit himself. _Old habits die hard._ "No!" He snapped, allowing Sparky to spin him around to face Dusty. "I'm tellin' ya to forget all this racing malarkey. You just ain't built for it!"

Dusty suddenly glared. "You don't think _I_ know that? I've been flying back and forth across the same fields for years! I've flown _thousands_ of miles and I've never been anywhere. I'm not like you! You were built to fight and look what you did. You're a hero."

Skipper looked down, keeping his glare as Sparky and Sky cast him looks. Sky knew it was best to just stay quiet, but it was times like these she wondered what Skipper thought about. He may be her father, but it didn't make him any less reserved.

"I'm just trying to prove that maybe I can do more than what I was built for." Dusty said, sighing. Sky stared at the crop duster, surprised by the declaration. Still, she could empathize with him; she felt similar feelings when she used to loathe the idea of being a psyche human. Those feelings often came back to haunt her to this day. Dusty glared at Skipper before averting his gaze.

Sky looked to Skipper, waiting with baited breath to see what the Corsair would do. He was glaring so hard his eyes were nearly shut, analyzing Dusty with a critical gaze. Sky perked up a bit; if Skipper was staring at Dusty like this, he was seriously considering something.

Finally, Skipper spoke up as Sparky pushed him back home. "0500 tomorrow. Don't be late."

"Wait. 0500?" Dusty repeated, confused.

"Yeah!" Sparky confirmed. "Five a.m.!" Dusty stared after them before a smile spread across his lips.

Sky jumped up to Skipper's cockpit and hugged him. "Oh thank you thank you thank you so much! I so owe you big time! Thank you!"

"All right, all right!" Skipper rolled his eyes, pretending to be embarrassed. "Don't think you're getting out of the hard work, kiddo. You and Dusty both have a lot of work to do."

"You got it." Sky nodded, giggling excitedly. "You won't be disappointed."

* * *

By the time the neighborhood rooster crowed, Dusty and Sky were already in the air and ready for instructions. Skipper, Sparky, and Chug stood on the cliff just outside Skipper's hanger, watching them go. Skipper stared at his trainees through his binoculars, his old teaching habits going into overdrive.

" _Remember this: it ain't how fast you fly, it's how you fly fast."_ Skipper said over Dusty's and Sky's radios. _"Show me what you got."_

"Watch this!" Dusty called excitedly, performing some tree line moguls. Sky whooped and cheered, laughing.

" _Great. You can go up and down."_ Skipper droned. _"Show me your turns!"_

"Hard left, Dusty!" Sky ordered, the crop duster obeying.

" _That was pathetic!"_ Skipper snapped. _"Knife-edge those elm trees!"_ Dusty made a sharp spin, only for his landing gear to smack against the branches of the trees. Sky spit out a few leaves that ended up in her mouth.

"Don't worry, Dusty." Sky assured. "Just keep it up."

" _Skylar Amelia Riley!"_ Skipper snapped.

Sky jumped. "Uh, yeah Dad? I mean, yes sir?"

" _What do you think you're doing?"_ Skipper demanded.

"Uh….."

" _Is this a leisurely ride through the park? No! Ergo, you should not be riding him like that!"_

"Huh?"

" _You've ridden a horse before, right?"_

"Yeah, once or twice."

" _Treat Dusty like a horse!"_

"What?!" Sky and Dusty yelped.

" _You are not a passive rider, you're an active rider!"_ Skipper snapped. _"Ride Dusty like those jockeys do in those horse races you like to watch."_

"Uh, okay. Sorry about this, Dust." Sky readjusted herself as best she could, pulling her feet up and pushing them against the backrest to crouch down over Dusty's back. "Like this?"

" _Close enough for now."_ Skipper droned.

Sky's cheeks turned red. _This is going to be harder than I thought._

" _You want speed, right?"_ Skipper asked suddenly. _"Serious, bolt-rattling speed?"_

"Oh yeah!" Sky nodded, Dusty agreeing.

" _Good. Look up."_ Dusty and Sky looked to find the clouds high above them in near-perfect lines, curved a bit like the arc of a rainbow. _"Do you see those clouds? The highway in the sky. Tailwinds like nothing you've ever flown."_

Dusty cringed a bit, staring at how far away those clouds looked. "Come on, Dusty!" Sky called encouragingly. "Let's go!" She could've sworn she heard Dusty gulp, but she shook it off as he angled up and began flying right up towards the clouds. Sky tightened her grip on the handlebar, grinning excitedly.

Sky suddenly noticed they were almost completely perpendicular to the ground below, and she blinked in confusion. "Dusty? Dusty?" Sky called worriedly. "Dusty, you're going to flip backwards!" Her grip tightened on the handlebar, this time in fear. _"Dusty!"_

Dusty had looked down, and suddenly he felt lightheaded and unable to breathe. He lurched, falling to one side, and Sky screamed as she suddenly slipped from her perch. Her harness kept her securely fastened to the crop duster and she hurriedly pulled herself back on as Dusty began gliding back down to a lower altitude.

"Dusty, land!" Sky ordered. "I want you on the ground, right now!" Dusty didn't dare argue, ignoring Skipper's confused calls as he made his way to the landing strip. He made a steady and smooth landing, and once he was fully on the ground and his prop stopped spinning Sky hurriedly unbuckled herself from the harness. She jumped to his wing and leaned against Dusty, panting like he did.

"You…okay?" Dusty asked.

"Fine." Sky swallowed, trying to control her breathing. "But I _never_ thought I'd be afraid to be riding you. What happened?"

Dusty looked down. "Uh…"

"What just happened up there?" Skipper demanded as he, Sparky, and Chug approached the pair.

Dusty smiled nervously. "I'm low on fuel so—"

"Do I look like I was built yesterday?" Skipper growled.

"No, no!" Dusty said hurriedly. "It's a long story."

"I got time." Skipper replied instantly.

Dusty blinked, realizing the Corsair wasn't going to leave this alone. Sky stared at Dusty with concern and some irritation. _What's so wrong that he can't tell anyone? Does he really think he's going to get out of talking to my dad about this?_

"Uh…..okay, well…um….." Dusty stumbled over his words.

"The Jolly Wrenches have a motto: Volo Pro Veritas." Skipper said. "It means 'I fly for truth.' Clearly you don't. Sparky, push me back to the hanger. Skylar, we're going home."

"What?" Sky gasped. "But Dad—"

"Skylar Amelia Riley!" Skipper snapped as Sparky began pushing him home. "Right now!"

Sky cringed at her father's tone, and she sighed in defeat. "Yes, Dad." She cast an apologetic yet disappointed look to Dusty before jumping off his wing and running to Skipper, hopping up on his wing and sitting down. She sighed again, slouching. _So much for the race._

"I'm afraid of heights!" Dusty suddenly called.

Sparky screeched to a halt, forcing Skipper to do the same. Skipper's and Sky's eyes widened for a moment before the former's fell back into a glare, Sparky turning him back around to face Dusty. Sky blinked a few times. "Uh, come again?"

"I'm afraid of heights." Dusty repeated.

"But….." Chug blinked. "….you're a plane."

"I'm a _crop duster._ " Dusty protested. "I've never flown over a thousand feet."

"Dusty, that's kind of a significant thing to leave out when trying for a world-class race." Sky noted.

"It didn't seem _that_ important." Dusty said.

"You're kidding me." Skipper glared. "Scared of heights and you want to race around the world?"

Sparky finally rolled forward. "Uh, Skip? During the attack of Tujunga Harbor, why even the P-38s had trouble at high altitudes."

"Well, they didn't have to fly over the Himalayas." Skipper scoffed, looking to Dusty.

"I'll still be low to the ground, just high up." Dusty protested weakly.

"It's still high up!" Sky snapped. "You realize you're the epitome of irony, right?"

"Oh, and after the war, those 38s went on to win races!" Sparky said excitedly, starting up an excited chat with Chug about warplanes becoming racers and breaking records. Sky stared at Dusty, shaking her head a bit. How could he not tell her about this? A fear of heights was so significant, it could greatly damage their chances of surviving the Rally, much less winning it. Sky cast a look to Skipper, who was staring at Dusty with that analytical gaze again. She could tell he was seriously considering dropping his lessons altogether, but something was holding him back. Sky put a hand to Skipper's nose, and the Corsair's blue-gray eyes locked with her blue-green ones. She gave an encouraging smile.

Skipper sighed silently. _All right. If she can have so much confidence in him, maybe there's a sliver of hope left for the boy._ "All right, all right!" he called, silencing Sparky and Chug. He looked to Dusty. "We'll work on the fear of heights. For now, let's see if we can turn low and sloppy into low and fast."

Dusty brightened up considerably. "Roger that!"

* * *

For the next week, Dusty and Sky were put through more hard work than they ever experienced in their lives. What became known as Skipper's Training Plan turned out to be running a race course he set up in one of the fields near Propwash, complete with slaloming radial G passes through grain silos, dead sprints, a climb and then a rolling dive to trade altitude for air speed and race across the finish line. Their opponent: a twin commuter's shadow across the ground.

Suffice to say, their first run ended in failure.

From there, it became a matter of increasing agility with practice and increasing speed with skillful maneuvers and some tinkering on Dottie's part, the forklift finally convinced into helping out. Terrified at the thought of getting his sprayer ripped off, he opted for Dottie to increase his torque to help raise his speed. He kept the handlebar, harness, and side mirror, but his backrest was taken out and replaced with a set of stirrups for Sky to put her feet in. It took a few runs for Sky to get used to the new position, riding Dusty like a jockey would a race horse.

Skipper drilled maneuvers and technical aspects into Dusty's and Sky's head, everything from what the heck a radial-G turn was to how to use gravity as an ally. They spent an entire day perfecting the radial-G, doing repetitions well into the night until they could perfect it. The training seemed to be going nowhere, especially when Skipper forced them to practice in the pouring rain. But that race in the rain was the first time Skipper complimented them. Well, all he said was "Better." But it's a start.

Then came Sky's part in the plan, requiring just as much hardcore training as Dusty. Along with getting used to her new riding position, she had to completely revamp the way she made her connection with her psyche human powers. Skipper worked with plenty of psyche human flyers in the Navy, giving him the proper expertise to help his daughter.

"You're holding back without even realizing it." Skipper explained one day. "The two of you are sharing strength. It's not about you giving him power and him taking it. You're not a spare engine. When you two make that connection, you become one."

Sky and Dusty took an entire day of training to strengthen their bond, per Skipper's demand. It required a lot of analyzing on how their connection felt when it activated and thinking long and hard about what made the connection stronger and weaker. The two talked for the entire day about it, practicing to make the connection. By the end, Skipper declared a perfect connection to use during the race.

"All right, Skylar, Dusty." Skipper said, staring into his binoculars. It was their last day of training. If it didn't work today, they went into the race without knowing their full potential. "Give this run all you've got!"

Sky readied herself and Dusty sped off, the two of them and the commuter's shadow crossing the starting line. He shot off towards the silos, slaloming them with perfect radial-G passes as Skipper's lessons seemed to echo in the racers' heads. Sky adjusted herself to Dusty's movements, keeping her muscles from getting tense so Dusty could move easier. The two of them felt their speed increase greatly, to the point where the tractors they passed reared up in surprise. They were catching up to the commuter's shadow as they began their climb. Dusty made his dive, and this time Sky was ready for it as he shot down and sped through the air.

The two of them raced across the finish line, 317 miles per hour and several yards ahead of their opponent.

"Yes!" Sky cheered, punching the air. "Whoo-hoo!"

"Yeah!" Dusty laughed as he swooped through the air in a victory lap.

"Way to go, Dust Storm!" Sky laughed, hugging the crop duster.

"Hey, back at ya!" Dusty said. "We're a team, Sky. Never forget that."

Sky nodded. "Never."

When the two racers finally calmed down enough to land, Skipper led them to his hanger where Sparky granted Dusty with a special gift: the Jolly Wrench insignia painted on his nose, just behind his propellers.

"The piston and cross-wrenches." He smiled at Skipper. "Your squadron insignia!"

"You've earned it." Skipper said with a smile.

"Besides, we gotta match while we're out there." Sky noted, looking to her shirt.

"And for you, Skylar Amelia, so you can actually see what's going on." Skipper gestured to Sparky, and the forklift held up a pair of aviation goggles.

Sky laughed, taking the goggles and nodding. "Thanks." She had to admit, her eyes tended to tear up a lot during those runs.

"Now listen." Skipper told the racers. "When the race starts and all those planes take off, it'll stir up a bunch of swirlies. Just like the Wrenches ran into in the Battle of Airway."

"Roger that." Dusty nodded. "Sure wish you were coming with us, Skip."

"Just radio back when you get to the check points." Skipper assured. "I'll be your wingman from here."

"Volo Pro Veritas, right?" Dusty asked.

"Volo Pro Veritas." Skipper nodded.

Sky hugged her father. "Thanks, Dad. This really means a lot."

"You worked your tail off, Miss Riley." Skipper said. "You just be careful, all right?"

"Can do." Sky nodded, smiling at Dusty proudly. It was a heck of a lot of work to get where they were now, and no way were they done just yet. But she felt glad she managed to persuade Skipper to coach her and Dusty.

"And Dusty." Skipper suddenly glared and moved _very_ close to the crop duster. "You take care of my girl, or I'll rip your wings off and shove them down your throat."

Dusty chuckled nervously. "Come on, you wouldn't…." He caught the seriousness in Skipper's glare. "Oh….."

"Don't worry, Dusty. I'll be fine." Sky said, patting the crop duster. "I know you'll take care of me."

Dusty gulped a bit, laughing nervously. Skipper may be his friend now, but he had to remember one very crucial thing: he was Sky's _father_ first.


	41. P: New Friends, New Adventure

**A/N: So just to clarify, if I ever write a plane or air traffic control personal saying "Flight of two plus one" or (in this case) "Air racer number 7 plus one," the "plus one" refers to passengers on said plane, i.e. Sky. Hope that clears things up!**

* * *

Chapter Four: New Friends, New Adventure

Sky pulled her Jolly Wrench Navy commander jacket closer around her, the cold night air giving her goosebumps. But she and Dusty found themselves staring in wonder as New York City came into view.

"Dang!" Sky breathed. "Even Sterling isn't this huge!"

" _Air racer number 7 plus one, air racer number 7 plus one."_ A voice said over Dusty's and Sky's radios. _"Do you read? Kennedy approach, over."_

"Uh…I'm Dusty Crophopper and Sky Riley." Dusty said. "I'm looking for JFK airport."

" _Crophopper 7, you are supposed to be on the Carnice visual."_ The voice said. _"Turn further left, heading 1-9-5. Maintain one thousand feet. Intercept the twenty-two right localizer. You are cleared for the ILS 22, right approach."_

"Roger." Dusty nodded, him and Sky catching sight of the airport.

" _Heavy is sectored in behind you."_

"Run that by me one more time?" Dusty asked. He quickly dismissed it as he found the runway traffic control directed him to. He made a smooth landing, amazed by the sleek black asphalt that made up the tarmac.

"Huh. Nice place." Sky said, pushing her goggles up to rest over the top of her bandana.

"Check out this pavement!" Dusty said, impressed. "Nice! It's so smooth!"

" _Crophopper 7, you passed Foxtrot."_ Air traffic control said. _"Turn left onto Charlie. Hold short at 22."_

As Dusty stammered a bit, Sky suddenly noticed the runway growing brighter. She looked up just as air traffic control shouted _"Get off the runway!"_ and she screamed at the sight of a giant passenger plane coming right on top of them. Dusty scurried away, just managing to avoid the wheels of the Boeing plane and taxiing over to the gates.

"Wow." Sky sighed. "We haven't even started the race and you almost got us killed."

Dusty rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, just don't tell Skipper." He gasped and jumped as trucks honked their horns, and Sky held on tightly as Dusty skittered around the tarmac, avoiding cars and forklifts and giant planes.

"City folk aren't very nice, are they?" Sky noted as she dismounted Dusty to stand on his wing.

Dusty shrugged a bit, finally spying a slew of racing planes and a Wings Around the Globe Rally banner that read "Welcome Racers!"

Sky stared in awe. "Man, look at this!"

"Wow!" Dusty gasped, stopping in front of a de Havilland DH.88 Comet. A British flag paint scheme adorned his nose. "Bulldog? From the European Cup?"

"Pleased to meet you." Sky said respectfully, noting the rather bored look on Bulldog's face at the sight of the two of them.

"Hey, I saw you do this unbelievable high-G vertical turn." Dusty said excitedly, wondering what Chug would think if he were here. "How did you do that?"

"Well, let me tell you." Bulldog said. "In fact, why don't I tell you _all_ my racing secrets?"

"Really?" Dusty asked.

"NO." Bulldog droned. "Look, I don't know how things work in the backwater from which you hail, matey and milady, but this is a competition. Every plane for himself. Goodbye."

Dusty and Sky shared a look as Dusty turned and drove off.

"Oh, I'm British and that gives me an excuse to be a complete hob knocker." Sky mocked in a noticeably terrible British accent.

"What's a hob knocker?" Dusty asked.

"No idea." Sky shrugged. "Watch out!"

Dusty jumped as he suddenly came nose-to-nose with a pretty, gold-colored AeroCanard FG Kit with and elegant paint job. He jumped back, accidentally knocking over several cans of oil and trying his best to not stare at the beautiful plane before him.

Sky rolled her eyes. "Smooth."

Dusty ignored her, looking to the plane before them. "Well, I am sorry you had to see that."

"Are you all right?" the golden-colored plane asked with a warm giggle.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Dusty assured. "And you Pan-Asian Champion and Mumbai Cup record holder, Ishani."

"Most people call me just 'Ishani.'" The plane greeted.

"My name's Skylar Amelia Riley." Sky greeted. "Most people just call me 'Sky.'"

"I'm Dusty." Dusty greeted. "I mean, my _name_ is Dusty. I'm not actually dusty. I'm quite clean."

Ishani and the two forklifts who joined her giggled. "It's very nice to meet you, Skylar Amelia Riley and 'quite clean' Dusty." She continued to laugh, though not in a derogative way, as she rolled off.

"Nice to meet you too!" Dusty called. He stared after the plane. "Look at that propeller."

"Easy there, Casanova. Staring is rude." Sky teased.

"You wouldn't understand. It's a plane thing." Dusty said, staring almost dreamily after Ishani.

Sky laughed. "All right, Quite Clean Dusty, let's get to our tent before you cause any more trouble." But she couldn't stop Dusty as he suddenly began moving towards Ripslinger's area. She chuckled a bit. With how much talk he and Chug did about racing, being here was like being a kid in a candy store for the crop duster. Sky had to admit; she was pretty excited herself.

"Hey, look who made it!" Ripslinger said as he caught sight of Dusty and Sky. "It's the crop duster and the kid."

"Hey." Dusty greeted.

"Hi." Sky gave a small wave. She hadn't quite forgiven Ripslinger for his remarks from the qualifiers, but she had a hope they earned his respect after seeing them make it to here.

"You know, it's great to have you guys here." Ripslinger said. "Small-town farmers make it to the big time."

"Yes, sir." Dusty nodded confidently.

"But tragically crash on takeoff." Ripslinger added.

"Come again?" Sky asked, raising an eyebrow. Any hope of gaining Ripslinger's respect fell to pieces.

"Wings Around the Globe Winner Ripslinger eulogizes the unknown hayseeds and scatters their remains over a cornfield!" Ripslinger continued. "Ratings will be through the roof!"

Sky glared, suddenly finding this Ripslinger character quite annoying. Dusty narrowed his eyes a bit, but only muttered an "Okay" before turning and heading towards his tent.

"Good luck….farm punks." Ripslinger sneered.

"All right, that does it!" Sky jumped to her feet, ready to leap off Dusty's wing and go over to pound Ripslinger into dust.

" _Atención se_ _ñ_ _ors y se_ _ñ_ _oritas!"_ A voice called out in Spanish, drawing most everyone's attention to the Gee Bee Model R plane recently arrived. "The hero of the people has arrived!" His announcement was met with stunned albeit confused silence. "You have never heard of the great El Chupacabra?"

"Hey, isn't that that monster that siphons fuel from small vehicles?" One of the racers asked.

"Actually, he's the indoor racing champion of all Mexico." Dusty piped up.

"Indoor racing?" Bulldog repeated.

El Chu gave an eloquent spin, striking a strong pose. "And _numero uno_ recording artist, telenovela star, and romance novelist."

"Wow." Sky blinked. "A _se_ _ñ_ _or_ of many hats."

"Did you say El Chupacabra or El Cuckoo-cabra?" Bulldog laughed.

El Chupacabra developed a fire in his eyes as he approached Bulldog. "You make joke? _You make joke?!_ Very well. You leave me no choice!" Everyone tensed up a bit, waiting for a fight to break out. Instead, El Chu gave his cape a flourish in Bulldog's direction. "I e-swish my cape at you! You have been shamed." He stuck his propeller up as he rolled away.

Dusty hurriedly followed El Chu. "Indoor racing, huh?" Sky said. "A bit unorthodox, but I bet you rock at it."

" _Gracias, se_ _ñ_ _orita."_ El Chu said with a smile. "You have done many of these long-distance rallies, yes?"

"Nope. This is the first one for me and for Sky here." Dusty said.

"It is my first time as well!" El Chu said happily. "We will have many adventures, you and I. We will laugh, we will cry, we will dance!" Dusty cast him a strange look, and El Chu caught on. "Probably not with each other, _amigo._ But you, _mi amiga_ , I would not mind sharing a dance with you."

Sky laughed. "It would be my pleasure, El Chu."

" _Excellente!"_ El Chu cheered. "I will see you in the skies, _amigos._ " He gave a whoop and another flourish of his cape, making Dusty and Sky laugh. Any nervousness they felt for the race disappeared in an instant.

"This is gonna be fun." Sky said with a wide smile.

* * *

Dusty and Sky flinched a bit, but soon got used to the flashing cameras as a WAG official guided them through the tunnel to the runway. Sky made sure her jacket was buttoned up nicely and her bandana secure, her goggles hanging around her neck. She stood on Dusty's wing, the two of them staring out at the light at the end of the tunnel. They squinted a bit when the sunlight hit their eyes, but when their sight adjusted their jaws dropped. A huge crowd of vehicles and humans greeted them, all of them cheering as the racers lined up on the runway and prepared for takeoff.

"Holy smokes!" Dusty gasped.

"Whoa." Sky breathed, suddenly feeling rather small. But she stood up straight and waved to the crowd with the widest of smiles on her face. Confetti came down like snow.

"Look at this crowd." Dusty sighed.

"Stay focused, _amigos._ " El Chu encouraged. "Don't let anything distract you." Not a second later, he started staring, star struck, at a pale pink hybrid jet just in front of them. "Who is that vision?"

Dusty took a look. "That's Rochelle. The Canadian rally champ."

"She's pretty." Sky said.

"She is like an angel, sent from heaven." El Chu said lovingly. "Like a sunrise after a lifetime of darkness."

"Like…..fresh fertilizer on a field of dying grass." Dusty offered. Sky face palmed and El Chu gave him a look.

"This is not your thing, my friend." El Chu said.

"No kidding." Sky laughed.

" _All right, racers!"_ the announcer said over the loudspeaker. _"Start your engines!"_

The racers took their places, engines roaring to life and propellers spinning. Sky and the rest of the humans in the race mounted their planes. Sky pulled her goggles up over her eyes, harnessing herself in and keeping her feet firmly in the stirrups. She gripped the handlebar, activating the connection between her and Dusty. Dusty's engine revved, the small plane ready for takeoff. Sky braced herself, watching the green flag held by the official.

The flag came down.

Instantly, the racers took off down the runway in a flurry of colors and propellers. They lifted off into the air, those who could put away their landing gear doing so, and shot into the clouds. Just as Skipper predicted, Dusty and Sky became caught in the swirling winds behind the racers. Dusty made a hard dive, going down low towards the ocean, and took off again.

"It's a dead sprint to Iceland, Dusty." Sky said into the radio. "We got this."

"Right!" Dusty nodded.


	42. P: A True Amigo

Chapter Five: A True Amigo

…..maybe they didn't have this…

Sky's job seemed easy enough: keep the connection up, give encouragement, and let Dusty know when he passed the other racers. But that last part became harder when they flew right under some clouds. Not only did they both finish last, but by the time they reached the airport in Iceland both of them had snow all over their bodies and they shivered fiercely. Sky's goggles were so frosted over she had to pull them off to see anything, leaving large circles of bare skin around her eyes like a raccoon mask.

"You do know this is a race, right?" Ripslinger noted, much to his lackeys' amusement.

"J-j-j-just ign-n-nore them, D-D-D-Dusty." Sky's teeth chattered. "I-I-I-I-I-I w-w-w-wanna g-g-get w-w-warm."

Dusty obeyed, moving over to an empty fire pit and sighing in relief at the heat. Sky finally managed to uncurl her fingers from the handlebar and shakily pulled the harness off. She sat as close to the fire as she could without burning herself, her clothes cracking as the ice inside the fabric broke. After managing to get all the ice and snow off, the two moved to their station and set up several heat lamps to keep them warm. Dusty practically gulped down a warm can of oil while Sky quietly sipped some tea, sighing.

" _This is Propwash Junction to Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Riley."_ Chug's voice said over the radio.

"I read you, Chug." Dusty said pressing on the radio pedal to talk.

"Me too." Sky piped up.

" _So what's it like racing with the big dogs, Duster? You see any other humans, Sky?"_ Chug asked excitedly.

"A couple." Sky bobbed her head.

"My wings froze solid." Dusty reported. "I had icicles hanging off my sprayer. And I nearly smashed into a ten-story iceberg."

"And I almost got frostbite!" Sky snapped, drinking more of her tea.

" _Awesome!"_ Chug cheered.

"No, it was a gruesome near-death experience!" Dusty protested.

" _Dusty, Sky, just like when the Jolly Wrenches were up in the Aleutians, the air down close to the sea has more moisture, which is why you took on ice."_ Skipper explained. _"You gotta try to fly higher."_

"Great." Dusty groaned.

" _Skylar, you doing all right?"_ Skipper asked.

"Just trying to stay warm for now, Dad." Sky said with a smile. "Thanks. We got bigger problems to worry about."

" _The good news is tomorrow's leg goes through the Bavarian obstacle course."_ Skipper pointed out. _"It's all about agility, so it's your chance to move up. And remember, it's not speed that wins races, it's skill."_

* * *

If skill really was all it took to win, then this next leg was in the bag for Sky and Dusty. All those drills Skipper planted in their heads allowed them to move up several spots in the ranking in no time.

"We got this, Dusty!" Sky said as they neared the end of the leg. "Once we pass Bulldog, it's a straight shot over Ishani, El Chu, and even Ripslinger. Just keep that radial-G in mind; we may need it."

"Roger that." Dusty said, keeping his eyes ahead.

"So as long as we don't run into any—" Sky gasped when smoke suddenly began streaming from one of Bulldog's engines, and he took a nosedive. He began calling out "Mayday! I'm blinded!" into the radio. "Oh no!"

Dusty stared after Bulldog. "He's gonna crash if someone doesn't help him!"

Sky looked around, but there didn't seem to be a rescue team on hand. "I don't think anyone can get to him in time!" Skipper was right; sometimes even the best racers in the world don't finish this race. But it was only the second leg; how could they lose someone already?

Suddenly, she felt a lurch as Dusty shot straight downward and began flying alongside the British racer. "Bulldog, apply your left aileron!"

"Okay!" Bulldog did so, spinning himself around so he didn't fly upside down. Oil covered his windshield, completely blinding him.

"Stop roll!" Dusty ordered as they continued flying. "Quick, pull up!" They shot under a low bridge, pulling up again and heading straight towards a large castle. "Whoa! Big castle!" As Dusty shouted his orders, Bulldog obeyed without question. He ended up tearing through a WAG flag on the castle, but otherwise remained intact and didn't crash.

"Are you still there?" Bulldog called worriedly.

"I'm right here!" Dusty called. "I'll fly right alongside you."

"Dusty, get me above and closer to him!" Sky ordered. Dusty was confused, but obeyed without question. Sky unhooked herself from the handlebar and jumped off Dusty. She landed a bit hard on Bulldog's wing, grabbing the edge so she didn't slip off. Bulldog turned a bit, but managed to right himself. "Hang on, Bulldog!" Sky called over the wind. "I'm going to connect with your consciousness so you can see through my eyes!" Keeping an arm hooked on his wing, Sky reached her other hand up and placed it alongside Bulldog's cockpit. In seconds, she was able to make the connection and her eyes turned snow-white.

"I can see!" Bulldog cheered. "But why can't I move my eyes?!"

"You're looking through my eyes!" Sky explained. "Don't worry, I'll stare straight ahead."

"I'm still right beside you!" Dusty assured as they made their way to the finish line.

It took all of Sky's physical strength to keep her grip on Bulldog, and it required all her willpower to not look around as she held onto the British racer, knowing if she did it would only scare him more. Dusty calmly gave the orders as they neared the runway, Bulldog obeying every one without hesitation. He could appreciate that he had some idea of what was going on, but at the same time felt thankful his savior remained beside him just in case. Relief overwhelmed him as he touched down onto the tarmac and slowed to a halt.

"Disconnecting now!" Sky announced as she broke the connection and slid off Bulldog. She hit the ground running a bit, jogging over to Dusty as they stayed close to Bulldog's side. Her eyes returned to their normal blue-green as she watched medical crews wash the oil from Bulldog's windshield.

"Thanks for your help, matey." Bulldog sighed. "I couldn't have done it without—" He caught sight of Dusty and Sky before him. "You two saved me? I thought I told you every plane for himself!"

"Would you rather we had let you crash?" Sky sassed. "Not that we would have."

"Well, no, but you just threw the race because of me!" Bulldog snapped. But he started sniffling a bit. "And I owe you my life."

Dusty blinked. "Are you crying?"

"I don't cry, I'm British." Bulldog barked. But he couldn't stop a few more sniffles from escaping, and he smiled at Dusty and Sky. "Thanks, matey."

"Sure thing, Bulldog." Dusty nodded, happy to have earned Bulldog's respect.

"And thank you, milady, for your help." Bulldog looked to Sky. "I've never met a psyche human who could control her powers so well."

Sky blushed a bit. "Thank you."

Dusty and Sky backed up as reporters swarmed around Bulldog. "I gotta say, farmers, you are nice guys." Ripslinger said as he approached.

Dusty smiled. "Hey, thanks Rip."

"And we all know where nice guys finish." Ripslinger added, laughing as he and his flunkies rolled off.

Sky and Dusty glowered in their direction. "I officially hate him." Sky said.

Dusty sighed. "Yeah. But he's right. We're dead last."

* * *

In a German restaurant that night, Dusty and Sky couldn't help moping a bit. While they didn't regret helping Bulldog, it wasn't exactly a good feeling to be in last place for a second time. They're dream race wasn't off to a very good start.

"Dead last." Dusty sighed.

"Well this race keeps getting better and better." Sky droned sarcastically.

El Chu, sitting beside them, sniffled. "At least you are not last in the race for love."

"Rochelle?" Dusty asked.

"Her passion is, sadly, not for me." El Chu sobbed, looking quite upset.

"Tough break, El Chu." Dusty said sympathetically.

Sky walked over and patted the Mexican racer's nose. "It's okay, El Chu. She'll warm up to you."

El Chu sniffled. " _Gracias, amiga."_ He didn't look very convinced, but at least he stopped sobbing.

A horn honking caught their attention, and they turned to see a small car with some sort of trailer drive up to them. "Excuse me." The German car said nervously. "My name is Franz and I am a huge fan!"

"Sky and I have fans?" Dusty asked excitedly.

"Oh, no. Just me." Franz corrected.

"Figures." Sky shrugged, moving to sit on Dusty's wing.

"I just want to say _danke_ for representing all us little planes." Franz said.

Dusty and Sky shared a look. "Uh…..you're a car." Dusty noted.

Franz nodded. "But I am what you call a _Flugzeugauto,_ one of only six flying cars ever built!"

"Flying cars?" Sky repeated. Then, before their eyes, the "trailer" hitched up to Franz hooked up to the small car to give him plane wings, a tail, and a propeller. "Oh, cool! Wonder if they can do that for humans."

"Whoa!" Dusty breathed.

" _Guten Tag, Herr_ Dusty _und Frau_ Sky." Franz said, his voice noticeably deeper. "I am Von Fliegenhozen."

"Didn't you just say your name was Franz?" Dusty noted.

" _Nein."_ The German car/plane said. "Franz is a guy with no shpine who is in charge when we putter about the cobblestones. In ze air, I am in charge."

Sky scooted back a bit. "Um….okay…."

"Serious identity issues." El Chu whispered to Dusty and Sky, the two nodding in agreement.

"Zis from the one wearing a mask?" Von Fliegenhozen said.

Sky looked to El Chu for his reaction, expecting another cape swish. But El Chu took the counter and said, "Touché."

The wings and propeller detached to their trailer form, and Franz was back. "We are both pulling for you, _Herr_ Dusty and _Frau_ Sky."

"We appreciate it." Sky said thankfully.

"Yeah, thanks for the support." Dusty nodded. "We kind of need all the help we can get."

"Would you not be much faster without the pipes and tank and whatnot weighing you down?" Franz suggested.

"My sprayer." Dusty realized with a groan. "Again?"

"Yeah." Franz confirmed. "Why carry around the extra weight?"

"He's got a point, Dusty." Sky shrugged. "I mean, you already have to lug my butt around during this race."

"Yeah, but _you're_ part of the team." Dusty protested. "We work together."

"Then ask yourself this: is the sprayer part of our team or is it just holding you back?" Sky pointed out.

"The little crazy car and your friend are right." El Chu agreed. "Perhaps you need to start thinking like a racer."

Dusty thought for a moment. The idea of getting his sprayer taken off just seemed like a medical/mechanical procedure he really didn't want to go through. But then again….he wasn't a crop duster anymore. He wasn't going back now, especially after making it into the race. Sky was right; the sprayer was just extra weight, holding him down.

* * *

So, the next morning, Dusty went into a garage to have his sprayer taken off. El Chu, Sky, and Franz waited outside, listening amusedly to Dusty's yelps from in the garage. But they smiled warmly when Dusty emerged sans sprayer.

"So, what do you think?" Dusty asked.

"Dust Storm, I barely recognize you." Sky laughed.

" _Wunderbar,_ Dusty!" Franz complimented.

" _Fantastico!"_ El Chu laughed. "It is freeing, yes?"

"Freeing" perfectly described how Dusty felt right now. And when he and Sky went zipping across the skies, the two of them couldn't stop whooping and laughing at the extra speed they could finally achieve without the sprayer. They bid Franz/Von Fliegenhozen a reluctant farewell before they and El Chu hurried off to restart the race. Several of the competitors began falling out due to equipment failure. But Sky and Dusty managed to keep up with the racers without a problem. The third leg to India proved to be right up their alley, as it required them to stay under a thousand feet and fly through a rocky canyon. Dusty and Sky perfectly executed the radial-G passes Skipper drilled into their heads, passing racer after racer and managing to finish in eighth place. It certainly wasn't first or second or even third, but it was high enough to get them on the leaderboard on TV. Not only that, but their success caught the attention of the entire world. Before they knew it, the two Propwash residents found themselves surrounded by reporters asking a dozen questions at once. They were surprised, but welcomed the attention with modesty and politeness.

"Miss Riley, how do your psyche human abilities play a part in this race?" one of the reporters asked.

"It's a connection I'm able to make to basically combine my physical strength with Dusty's." Sky explained, relishing in the positive attention her powers received.

"Dusty, Dusty, where did you and Sky learn to race?" another reporter asked.

"From my coach and Sky's dad, Skipper." Dusty explained. "He's an amazing instructor, and a great friend. He flew dozens of missions all around the world. And I'm sure, if he could, he'd be with us right now."

Sky fought to keep the smile on her face to hide her concern. _Crud. I almost forgot. Sparky and I are the only ones who know Skipper's past. He only knows all those missions because he was still stationed on the Flysenhower even though he never flew. Those stories were reports from other Jolly Wrenches._

"Sky, is it true this Skipper is your father?" one of the reporters piped up, breaking Sky from her thoughts.

"Yeah." Sky nodded, fiddling with her goggles.

"A plane or a human?" another reporter asked.

"Plane. A Corsair." Sky said. "I, um, I became an orphan when I was five and Skipper took me in when I was eleven. He turned out to be an amazing guardian and I will always be thankful he adopted me. He taught me and Dusty everything we know about racing." She sighed softly. "I really wish he could be here. But, unfortunately, none of our team members could make the trip, so we're radioing back to them once we finish each leg. I know we're making them all proud, especially Skipper, whom I am very proud to call my father." She and Dusty exchanged smiles. _Who ever said he_ needed _to know Skipper's past anyway?_ Sky thought.

The interviews ended soon after, giving Dusty and Sky time to chat for a bit. They had to wait several hours before morning in Propwash so they could call their friends.

"This is Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Amelia Riley calling Propwash Junction!" Dusty called into the radio. Everyone responded happily, thrilled by their placement in the race and Dusty finally taking off his sprayer.

Sky giggled. "Oh boy do I miss you guys. Can't wait to see you again when this is all over."

" _Can't wait to see you guys cross that finish line."_ Skipper said. _"But stay focused on what's going on now. You two got a big leg tomorrow."_

"Yeah." Dusty nodded. Tomorrow was the shortest leg from India to Nepal, but it shot straight over the Himalayan Mountains. Dusty said it wouldn't be a problem, but now that he saw just how high the mountains were recorded on the maps, he got nervous again. Sky tried to reassure him, but even she felt a bit nervous about going over those mountains.

" _How are you feeling?"_ Skipper asked.

"It's gonna be…..interesting." Sky said with a somewhat weak smile.

" _Dusty, Sky, that vertical wind shear is going to be wicked over those mountains."_ Dottie warned.

" _Well, the good thing about being that high up, you see, there's not a lot of oxygen."_ Chug noted.

"Yeah, we're aware, Chug." Sky said. "The other human racers and I have to wear oxygen masks and tanks the entire way through this leg."

" _But if you crash, no explosion!"_ Chug noted.

"Great, Chug." Dusty said with a weak smile. Sometimes he wondered if Chug's fascination with crashing was a bit of a problem.

" _Of course, you could die of hypothermia or an avalanche could get you. Then, of course, there's pneumonia or even frostbite…."_ Chug continued.

"Chug, knock it off!" Sky snapped, silencing the fuel truck. _Franz isn't the only one who needs his head gasket checked._

"Skip, what if a guy wanted to fly _through_ the mountains instead of over them?" Dusty asked.

" _Bad idea."_ Skipper said immediately. _"The Wrenches flew through terrain like that in the Assault of Kunming. Wind coming over the peaks can stir up rotors that'll drag you right down. Remember what I said about tearing your wings off if Sky got hurt?"_

"Dad." Sky whined, smiling and shaking her head. Somehow, she could tell Skipper was smirking now.

Dusty sighed. "Roger that."

"Talk to you guys after the leg tomorrow. Bye!" Sky said as the line disconnected.

" _Hola, corazón."_

Dusty and Sky turned to see El Chu making another approach on Rochelle, only for the Canadian racer to shoot him down yet again and roll away. El Chu pouted.

"Hey, El Chu." Dusty called to his Mexican friend. "What's the problem?"

El Chu sighed. "I am Icarus and she is the sun. I fly too close and I melt."

"For quite the Casanova, you're not having much luck with her, huh?" Sky noted, smiling sympathetically.

"Maybe you're trying too hard." Dusty suggested. "Look, all you got to do is go over, open your mouth, and say—"

"Hello."

The three racers turned and stared in shock to see Ishani appeared. She had a warm smile on her face, enough to make even the most hardcore of racers collapse. Poor Dusty nearly stopped breathing as he stared.

El Chu caught the look on Dusty's face. "El Chupacabra!" He called in a fake voice. "Someone is calling me. I have to go." He sped away before anyone could protest.

Sky blinked. "And, uh, I just remembered that I have to…..call Skipper…over there." She sprinted off after El Chu, leaving Dusty alone with Ishani. The psyche human and Mexican racer watched from their corner they hid behind, amazed by Dusty's growing confidence as he talked with Ishani, casually complimenting her. Before they knew it, Ishani was inviting Dusty out for a trip to the Taj Mahal. The two planes took off, disappearing in the distance.

"Dusty." El Chu breathed, impressed.

"Good for him." Sky nodded. "The guy needs a good girlfriend."

"And what about you, _amiga_?" El Chu said as he and Sky walked off to wander around the airport. "Any _chicos_ back home?"

Sky laughed. "No, not really. I'm only seventeen. Besides, any guy who wants to date me has to go through my Navy Commander father first." She and El Chu laughed. "Then, once they get past that, they have to accept that I'm a psyche human."

"Why would they not?" El Chu asked.

Sky looked down, a smile still on her face. "Not everyone accepts psyche humans. I learned that from experience."

"Oh?" El Chu asked, looking confused and a little worried. He frowned. "Is someone not treating you nicely because of your powers, _amiga?_ "

"Oh, no." Sky shook her head. "I've managed to find plenty of people who like me even after knowing about my abilities." Her smile faltered a bit. "When I was five, my parents abandoned me for being a psyche human. I wasn't a normal human being, like they wanted."

"Shame on them!" El Chu huffed. "I shall give them a cape swish that shall carry across countries to wherever they are!" He gave a mighty spin and flourish of his cape, stopping in a strong stance.

Sky laughed. "Thanks, El Chu. But it's okay."

"It is not okay if you are not loved by your own parents." El Chu noted.

Sky sighed softly. "I guess. I'm not exactly happy about what they did, but I can't change it. And look on the bright side: I suppose I wouldn't be where I am now if they kept me. I wouldn't have met Skipper and Sparky and I wouldn't be living in Propwash, and Dusty and I wouldn't have come to the Wings Around the Globe Rally or met you."

El Chu nodded. "I am thankful to have met you as well, _amiga._ Rest assured, I will _never_ abandon you."

Sky smiled warmly, patting the Mexican racer's nose. "Thanks, El Chu. You're a true friend."

El Chu smiled warmly. He and Sky paused at the sound of music, and they turned to see a group of humans and vehicles dancing to Bollywood music playing from a stereo. El Chu smirked and gave a bow to Sky. " _Mi amiga_ , may I have this dance?"

Sky giggled, bowing back to the Mexican racer. "It would be an honor. I _did_ promise you a dance." The two moved out to the dance floor, dancing as best they could given their great difference in size. But they ended up laughing and enjoying themselves along with the other dancers. The pair ended up chatting and laughing for the rest of the day, Ishani and Dusty not returning until late that night.

El Chu graciously escorted Sky back to her and Dusty's hanger, giving a final bow before bidding her goodnight. Sky smiled warmly. "El Chu, I'm so glad we met and we're friends."

"I am happy as well, _Señorita_ Sky." El Chu said, accepting the hug from the girl. "Best of luck tomorrow!"

"You too!" Sky waved as El Chu taxied off to his hanger.


	43. P: Trusting Each Other

Chapter Six: Trusting Each Other

The next day, race officials equipped the human of the race with oxygen tanks and masks before the racers took off for Nepal. As they neared the Himalayas, Dusty kept to flying low as he travelled through the mountains themselves.

"There's the Iron Compass." Sky said her oxygen mask making her voice sound muffled and strange through the radio. Dusty looked down to find the railroad tracks Ishani mentioned, and he immediately began following them. "Let's hope Ishani was right." Sky said. She didn't necessarily agree with Dusty's plan when he explained it last night, but she found no reason to doubt Ishani or her advice. Unfortunately, they were still high up enough that Sky needed to keep her oxygen mask on, just in case.

Dusty looked ahead and his eyes widened. "Uh oh."

Sky's eyes widened behind her goggles. "Uh, Dusty? Your girlfriend didn't mention that!" A tunnel rested just ahead of them, going through one of the mountains. There was only one other way to go: up. Sky tightened her grip on the handlebar. "Come on, Dusty. You can do this."

Dusty gulped, but pulled up and began climbing up the side of the mountain. But he only made it up so far before he looked down, despite Sky's protests, and began feeling dizzy again. He fell back and began flying back the way he came. "Dang it…."

"Dusty, come on." Sky urged. "There's no way you can get out of it this time."

"There's gotta be another way." Dusty protested.

"Well when you think of something, I'm happy to hear it." Sky said in a half-sassy tone. "But we're gonna fall behind. What do we do? Turn back?"

She had meant to sound sarcastic, but maybe Dusty didn't catch on because his eyes narrowed into a glare. "No." He knew of another option. It was crazy dangerous, but it just might work and they didn't have time to think too much about it. He pulled up, looping back around and darting down the railroad tracks again.

Sky hoped Dusty would try pulling up again, but her eyes widened in horror when she noticed his very direct route of flying. "Oh no! Dusty Crophopper, no way! You go through that tunnel, you go through without my help!" Dusty kept going. "I mean it, Dusty!" Still, the crop duster kept flying, even when Sky let go of the handlebar and broke the connection. Dusty felt himself slow down a bit, but didn't hesitate to slightly roll as he shot into the tunnel. The opening was barely wide enough to fit his wingspan, and Sky ducked down a bit to decrease her chances of hitting her head. Dusty's wings scraped against the walls and floor of the tunnel a few times, sending sparks flying. Sky gripped the handlebar again, gulping a bit. She half-wanted to reactivate the connection, but more than anything she just wanted Dusty to get the heck out of that tunnel. Unfortunately, it would be next to impossible to back out now.

Suddenly, a horrifying sound rang out: a train whistle.

"Whoa!" Dusty shouted.

"I take it back! I'm with you!" Sky said hurriedly, using her powers and activating the connection again. Dusty picked up speed, but he and Sky could see the train coming in fast. The train saw them too, quickly applying his brakes. But there's no way he would be able to stop in time to avoid the collision.

Dusty and Sky screamed, the latter giving an extra burst of power.

Whiteness.

Dusty and Sky looked around, but only saw clouds all around them. Soon, they could spy the foliage of the trees and a small airport on one of the tall rock formations. Dusty smoothly came in for a landing, Sky pulling the oxygen mask off her face. They looked all around for any signs of life, the only sound being the crashing from the nearby waterfalls. Sky unhooked herself from the harness, slowly dismounting and standing on Dusty's wing. The area they landed in certainly looked beautiful, but where the heck were they?

"Hello?" Dusty called, rolling up to a nearby building that looked more like a temple than anything else.

"Anybody home?" Sky called.

Then, three small vehicles appeared at the temple gates with three wheels and Mohawk-like hairstyles. Two humans joined them, wearing orange robes and completely bald. "Is this where we're supposed to be?" Dusty asked.

"That is one of life's great questions." One of the vehicles said, clearly a monk.

Dusty gasped. "I'm dead!"

"If you're dead, that means _I'm_ dead." Sky realized. She glared and began punching and kicking the crop duster, much to Dusty's chagrin. "You big dolt! You got us both killed! I'm going to spend all of eternity pounding you for that!"

"Mr. Crophopper, Ms. Riley."

Sky paused in her assault and Dusty's pained yelps quieted as a few more vehicles arrived, no doubt the race officials. "Welcome to Nepal." The vehicles said, bowing.

Sky sighed. "Good. Not dead."

Dusty also sighed in relief. "Have the others left already?"

"Actually, no one else is here yet." The lead vehicle said. "You're in first place."

Sky blinked. "We are?"

"Really?" Dusty asked. He exchanged looks with Sky, and they smiled broadly.

Word spread quickly about Dusty and Sky's daring move that landed them in first place. Needless to say, everyone was shocked, and soon the two racers found themselves surrounded by reporters once more.

"Dusty, Sky, how does it feel to be in first place?"

"It feels great." Dusty said, Sky nodding in agreement. "But, more than anything, I'm just happy I fit through that tunnel."

"I'll say." Sky laughed.

"Sky, did you really accept this plan?"

"Uh, actually no." Sky said, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "I wasn't exactly all for it. But it turned out to be a good call." She smiled at Dusty. "I promise I'm never going to doubt my racing partner again. That's how our partnership works, after all, is by trusting each other."

Dusty smiled back before looking to the reporters. He paused when he noticed Ishani, or more specifically the new propeller she wore. Dusty's face fell. "Excuse me, guys." Dusty politely pushed his way through the reporters to approach Ishani.

"Want me to beat her up for you?" Sky whispered. "I'm not afraid to hit a girl."

"Give her a chance to speak." Dusty whispered back. He smiled and spoke up to get Ishani's attention. "Crazy day today, huh?"

Ishani gasped, not hearing them coming, and turned with a weak smile. "Oh. Yes, indeed. Quite a risk you took."

Dusty nodded. "Hey, your propeller, is it new?"

"Oh!" Ishani glanced back at the black and green propeller blades on her tail. "I suppose it is."

"Sky Slycer Mark Five, right?" Dusty guessed. "Aren't those made exclusively for Ripslinger's race team?"

"Are they?" Ishani asked, looking down.

"Yeah. Yeah, they are." Dusty confirmed.

Ishani stared at them, feeling guilt weighing like a hundred tractors on her engine. She stared at the ground, not wanting to look at Dusty out of shame and a little afraid of Sky's furious glare. "Dusty…Skylar….."

Now Dusty glared at Ishani. "You set us up."

"Look, I didn't ever want to hurt you." Ishani said.

"Why?" Dusty demanded, looking more betrayed than anything else.

Ishani paused. How could she explain this? "It's complicated, okay?"

"Lame excuse." Sky growled.

"You could have gotten me _killed_ out there today!" Dusty snapped. "You almost got _Skylar_ killed! What was I supposed to do if something happened to her?"

"And what was I going to do if something happened to him and I managed to survive?" Sky added.

"I really thought that you'd just…turn around." Ishani said.

"Well, you were wrong." Dusty said. "And I was wrong about you." He turned and rolled off, passing Ripslinger on the way. "Hey Rip! Thanks for first place." If he noticed Rip's furious growl, he didn't show. Sky, however, stuck her tongue out at the green and black racer.

* * *

Thanks to their first place spot in Nepal, the next leg over to China was a snap for Dusty and Sky. Their popularity around the world grew, everyone amazed by the underdog team. They stayed modest in their new fame, still not completely used to the attention. But they couldn't hide their excitement when they checked in at Propwash and heard their friends cheering for them. After their rocky start at the beginning of the race, this all felt like their dream was really coming true.

" _You're really showing them big-time racers a thing or two, huh?"_ Skipper said.

"Yeah." Dusty sighed, still unable to believe it. "We head out across the Pacific tomorrow, Skip. You were stationed there for a while, right? Got any advice?

" _Back in '41, during the Battle over Wake Island, the Wrenches ran into serious monsoons with embedded CBs that could tear your wings right off."_ Skipper said. _"Be careful."_

"Great confidence booster, Skipper." Sky droned, shaking her head with a smile.

" _And one more thing."_ Skipper said. _"I'm proud of you. The both of you."_

Dusty smiled. "Thanks…wingman."

Sky cleared her throat. "Dad?"

Skipper laughed. _"All right, all right. And Dusty, since Sky clearly seems to be doing all right with you, I promise I won't tear your wings off and shove them down your throat."_

Dusty laughed. "I appreciate that."

"Thank you, Dad!" Sky called.

" _Hey Dusty and Sky!"_ Dottie said. _"We have a surprise for you!"_

" _Oh!"_ Chug called excitedly. _"You hafta let me tell them!"_

" _Go ahead, Chug."_ Dottie chuckled.

"Tell us what?" Sky asked.

" _We're gonna meet you in Mexico!"_ Chug announced.

"Really?" Dusty asked excitedly, Sky bouncing a bit from her spot on the crop duster's wing.

" _Yep!"_ Chug confirmed. _"Tickets are on Sparky and me."_

"That's so great!" Sky cheered.

"You sure you're up for it, Skipper?" Dusty asked.

" _You bet!"_ Skipper said. _"Somebody else is doin' the flying."_

"That's great news, guys!" Dusty said excitedly. "We'll see you in Mexico!"

"Bye guys!" Sky called. "Bye Dad! See you all in Mexico!" Their friends bid them farewell before hanging up, and Sky did a little victory dance. As much fun as this race has been, she started to feel quite homesick lately. But she knew it was only two legs left and she'd be back in Propwash Junction, hopefully helping Dusty carry a trophy home; and now, she only had to wait one more leg before she could see Skipper and Sparky again. She was still giddy as Dusty rolled out for a walk in the cool night air, but she paused when there was a crashing sound and El Chu raced from his hanger. "El Chu?"

"Hey, El Chu!" Dusty called, halting the Mexican racer. "Where's the fire?"

"It is in my soul!" El Chu cried passionately. "Tonight, I shall win the heart of Miss Rochelle!" He gave a swish of his cape and took off for Rochelle's hanger.

Sky pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, this can't end well."

"What do we do?" Dusty asked.

Sky sighed. "Doesn't his team play in a mariachi band?" Dusty nodded. "Then it's time for an intervention."

By the time Sky and Dusty caught up with El Chu, the Mexican racer had a spotlight set on him and he was blaring music from a stereo next to him. The rock music echoed out across the area, and Sky covered her ears as El Chu began singing wildly. Based on the fact that Rochelle slammed her hanger doors shut, she wasn't exactly impressed herself.

"Oh boy." Dusty sighed.

"Nah-uh, not happening." Sky hopped down from Dusty's wing and picked up the extension cords attached to the stereo. She yanked on them, unplugging the cords and shutting off the music and lights.

El Chu blinked in surprise, then noticed Sky and Dusty off to one side with the extension cords still in Sky's hands. "Dusty, Sky, what are you doing?"

The pair didn't answer as a group of forklifts in mariachi outfits came out, beginning to play a smooth, slow tempo song as they gathered around El Chu. One of the racer's teammates lit a trio of candles on a tall candlestick, and Dusty gently pushed it over closer to his Mexican friend. El Chu cast Dusty and Sky a strange look.

"Low and slow." Dusty instructed. One of El Chu's forklifts held up two signs: the first stating "How low can you go?" and the second "Mas suave." Sky gave El Chu a thumbs-up, nodding encouragingly. El Chu finally nodded in understanding, and he began singing again. This time, he voice carried smoothly and passionately up towards Rochelle's shut doors.

Dusty rocked back and forth to the tune of the music, and Sky looked out to see Rochelle's hanger doors opening slowly. Sky smiled broadly and guided the red forklift beside her towards a scissor lift, quietly directing him up to the spotlights.

Sky switched the spotlights back on, giving a motion to the forklift above. The red vehicle put a tinted screen over the spotlights, casting El Chu in a soft, golden glow. Sky looked up to see Rochelle was actually smiling down at them, and Sky quietly gave a cheer. She returned to Dusty's side, holding out her hand palm up. He tapped his wing against her palm, both of them smiling victoriously.

El Chu smiled warmly as the song finished. _"Buenos noches, carina."_ He and his band gave a bow to the Canadian racer.

Rochelle giggled. _"Mousier El Chu."_ She said something in French before giggling again and disappearing into her hanger.

El Chu blinked. "What does that mean?"

"No idea." Dusty shrugged.

"Clueless." Sky agreed.

"But French-Canadian is the language of love…in Quebec." Dusty noted. "So, it's gotta be good."

"I am in your debt, _compadres."_ El Chu said as they left. "If ever you need me, I shall be there."

" _Compadre._ " Dusty repeated, smiling. "I like that."


	44. P: A Storm on the Flysenhower

**A/N: Fair warning: major drama in this coming chapter, as it's the chapter that includes the** _ **Flysenhower**_ **(no spoiler alert there, most of you ought to know the movie). I must give credit to Seven Star for giving me the idea of Sky wearing a special splash-down vest while flying over the ocean. Didn't even think about that. So thanks Seven Star! And thank you to all my readers!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Seven: A Storm on the Flysenhower

Dusty rolled up to the leaderboard, Sky in her usual place standing on his wing, and the two smirked at the sight of Ripslinger, Ned, and Zed glaring at Dusty's and Sky's names at the top of the list.

"Yep. First place." Dusty said proudly. "Not too bad for a couple farmers." He rolled off, holding his propeller high with pride, and Sky blew a raspberry at Ripslinger.

"We're really showin' him, huh Dusty?" Sky laughed.

"You bet." Dusty nodded. "I think we really got this in the bag."

"Of course we do!" Sky agreed as they journeyed to the starting line. "It's another dead sprint to Mexico, but even if we end up falling a bit behind we'll be able to stay in the top three, top five spots."

"No doubt about it." Dusty said confidently. "And Sky?"

"Yeah?" Sky asked.

Dusty smiled warmly. "I'm proud that you're my co-pilot. Thanks for everything."

Sky smiled back, patting Dusty's canopy as she mounted him. "You're a great friend, Dust Storm. I'll always be thankful for that." She prepared herself for takeoff, but looked over and did a perfect double-take. " _Ay caramba."_

Dusty followed her gaze to see El Chu, out of breath and covered in lipstick. "What happened to you?"

"That song." El Chu panted. "It flipped the switch!" Sky and Dusty jumped a bit when Rochelle suddenly cooed in French and dragged El Chu over to her, kissing him again. Sky stuck out her tongue, covering her eyes. El Chu managed to pull himself back to his friends, covered in even more lipstick. "She is like a jaguar now!" He whimpered a bit when Rochelle dragged him back.

"Um…gross." Sky grimaced, pulling her goggles over her eyes.

The race got underway, Dusty flying down low towards the ocean again. Luckily, they were in the mid-Pacific, so it wasn't nearly cold enough for the moisture in the air to form ice on the racers. Sky tried to keep an eye on the racers above them, but the cloud cover once again got in the way. She shrugged it off, knowing it didn't really matter. But she couldn't shake that feeling that something was about to go wrong. She checked the splash-down life vest she wore, currently deflated, and nodded in satisfaction when she felt it secure. The other psyche human racers had the option to wear vests, but most decided it pointless; they would be flying so high that if they fell off for any reason, the impact of hitting the ocean alone would kill them. Dusty had insisted Sky wear the vest, just for safety's sake since they were flying lower. Or maybe he thought Skipper would still tear his wings off if Sky got hurt. The life vest wouldn't inflate unless she fell into the ocean, but she reminded herself there was no way they'd end up in the water.

Maybe halfway across the ocean, Sky suddenly became aware of the sound of a second engine growing closer and closer by the second. She looked up, only to shout in pain as a wing clipped her shoulder and knocked her off Dusty's canopy. The safety harness did its job keeping her on the crop duster, but she could do nothing as Zed suddenly swooped down and slammed his landing gear against Dusty's radio antenna, snapping it clean off and sending it into the ocean.

"My antenna! No!" Dusty gasped, him and Sky making wild grabs only to miss. Ned and Zed disappeared, back up into the clouds.

"Why those little punks!" Sky snarled, hauling herself back to her normal position. Her shoulder throbbed intensely, and she could only pray Ned didn't break it. "When we get to Mexico, I'm gonna turn those two into a pile of scrap metal!"

"If we can find our way there!" Dusty said nervously. In his panic, he had swooped around trying to catch his antenna, and there was no way of telling which way was the right way.

"Just…keep going straight!" Sky urged. "We have to reach land sooner or later!"

"But we only have so much fuel to get us there!" Dusty reminded her.

Sky scrambled for an idea, making sure her connection with Dusty was still strong. If all else failed, she could be used as a backup fuel source to keep Dusty in the air long enough to get to land. She looked up, but knew at once with the clouds and lack of stars that they'd never be able to find their way without their GPS. _Oh we're in trouble now._ Sky gulped a bit.

Dusty and Sky continued their flying, praying they were going in the right direction. But after several hours with no land in sight, Dusty began to realize he was running low on fuel. His first thought was to refuel in Hawaii, but because of his broken antenna not even Sky could contact the islands. That didn't stop them from trying, repeating their last known coordinates into their radios and listening to the returning static for any kind of response. None came. Panic levels rose within both of them. Sky's life vest would keep her afloat and Dusty knew some basic swimming techniques for planes to save him from drowning, but he couldn't exactly doggy paddle the rest of the way to Mexico should he fall into the ocean.

"Hawaii, do you read?" Dusty called into his radio. "I am low on fuel!" An alarm beeping caught his and Sky's attention.

"Make that out of fuel!" Sky gulped. She and Dusty looked around, but there was nothing except ocean, clouds, and skies for miles around. Not even the others racers could be seen, either on the other side of the clouds or miles ahead of them. They needed a miracle to get out of this one.

Suddenly, the sound of loud engines roared from right behind them, making Dusty and Sky jump.

"Unknown riders!" A voice called. "You have entered restricted airspace. Why haven't you responded to radio contact?" Sky turned to see a pair of twin Boeing F/A-18 E Super Hornets, one with a grey helmet and the other with a red one. A certain insignia was painted on their noses, under their eyes, and on their tail fins.

 _The Jolly Wrenches!_ Sky realized.

"Somebody cut off my antenna!" Dusty explained quickly.

"Identify yourself." The Hornet behind them said.

"I'm Dusty Crophopper." Dusty said.

"And I'm Skylar Riley!" Sky called over the wind.

"Roger that." The grey helmet Hornet nodded.

"I'm running on vapors and Sky's strength." Dusty cried desperately. "We need to land!"

"What are you doin' out here with an empty tank?" The red helmet Hornet snapped.

"Not our fault!" Sky snapped back.

"Listen, Crophopper and Riley." The red helmet Hornet said. "You better follow us to the boat."

"The boat?" Dusty asked.

"The _USS Dwight D. Flysenhower._ " The grey helmet Hornet said.

Sky felt Dusty dip a little bit, but she kept their connection strong. _Just hang on, Dusty. We're gonna be just fine._

Eventually, Sky managed to pick out names for the Hornets flanking them: the one in the red helmet was Echo and the one in the grey helmet was Bravo. Once they got over their surprise, Dusty and Sky found the two Hornets to be rather kind. They made sure to keep alongside the racers as they led them to a large ship out in the ocean.

"Let's line you up for the barricade." Bravo said as they looped around the ship. Sky and Dusty looked down to see the soldiers on the ship setting up some sort of netting.

"All you gotta do is throttle on back and call the ball and hopefully end up in the spaghetti." Echo said.

"Say what?" Sky called incredulously.

"What?" Dusty yelped. "Guys, I'm not sure I can do this!"

"I don't see how you have a choice." Echo noted.

"Okay, but that runway is _moving_!" Dusty protested.

"We'll set you up on the glide path!" Echo assured.

"Runways are not supposed to move!" Dusty yelped.

Sky readjusted her grip on the handlebar. "Hang on, Dusty! We can do it!"

Dusty tried his best to calm down, to no avail. "Okay! Moving runway, moving runway."

"Easy." Sky urged, keeping ready and eyeing the runway that was the _Flysenhower_.

"Maybe if I just came around again?" Dusty gulped.

"Throttle back!" Sky called as Echo and Bravo tried to calmly guide them onto the ship. "Come on, we got this!"

Dusty and Sky screamed as Dusty's wheels slammed onto the desk of the ship, and his brakes screeched as he desperately tried to stop. They squeezed their eyes shut, but suddenly felt themselves no longer moving. Opening their eyes, the two found a line around Dusty's back wheel stopped them from hitting the netted barricade. The soldiers around them clapped and cheered, and Dusty and Sky relaxed in relief as rain began to come down. Sky sighed heavily, leaning against Dusty.

"We did it." She breathed.

Echo and Bravo soon landed after them, joining the racers as they rode an elevator to a lower level of the ship. "Come on, let's get you two fixed up, refueled, and back in the race." Bravo encouraged. "You are way behind."

"Thanks, guys." Dusty said gratefully. "You really saved our tails out there."

"Victory!" Echo said.

"Victory!" Dusty and Sky echoed. They reached the lower level and found a wall covered in pictures before them.

"Hey, what is that?" Dusty asked as he rolled forward to investigate.

"That's the Jolly Wrenches Wall of Fame." Bravo explained.

"Every flyer, every mission." Echo added.

Sky felt her heart nearly stop. _Oh no._

Dusty scanned the pictures, searching for a familiar Corsair. "Skipper…Skipper…..Skipper….."

Sky rubbed her goggles nervously. _Don't be up there don't be up there don't be up there don't be up there don't be—_

"Oh! Ha-ha, there he is!" Dusty announced.

 _Dang it._

Dusty's eyes traveled to the list of missions, and he blinked in surprise to see a single name: _Glendal Canal._ Also under Skipper's picture was an image of a Purple Heart medal, indicating a battle where Skipper was wounded. Dusty stared in confusion. "Why is there only one mission?" He stared at Skipper's picture for a moment. "Sky? What's going on?"

Sky sighed, dismounting from the crop duster. "Look, Dusty—" Suddenly, Sky felt her muscles go limp, and she saw a blur of colors as she tumbled over and hit the ground.

Dusty jumped back, rolling forward again and staring worriedly. "Sky? What's wrong?" Sky could only groan and clutched her shoulder, pain radiated from her bones.

"Miss Riley?" Echo asked worriedly.

"My shoulder hurts." Sky said through gritted teeth. "I feel really dizzy."

"It's no wonder." Bravo said. "With how much power you were putting in Crophopper."

"What?" Dusty asked, confused. "She wasn't—" Then, it clicked in his head and he stared at his human rider. "Sky, how much of my power came from running on vapors?"

Sky sighed. "Not very much. In fact, none at all. I gave you everything I had."

Dusty stared. "Why would you do that? You could've seriously hurt yourself!"

"We would've been even more hurt if you had crashed into the ocean." Sky said, her limbs shaking as she tried to push herself upright. Echo came up and dipped a wing, allowing Sky to lean heavily on him. Her muscles refused to fully work for her. Her shoulder felt like fire. "You were so scared and I knew we'd never make it to the boat on vapors alone. So I pushed all of my strength into you."

"But…but…." Dusty stared at Sky in shock. "That's not how this works…we're a team….we're supposed to work together…"

Sky smiled weakly. "I couldn't let you get hurt. You're my friend." Dusty only stared in horror. Sky groaned a bit as she felt her legs give out, and Echo gently scooped her up onto his wing.

"Easy there, Miss Riley." Echo said. "Luckily for you, we have the one of the best psyche human doctors right here on the _Flysenhower_. He'll get you fixed up and we'll get some food into you."

"Meanwhile, you come with me, Crophopper." Bravo encouraged. "Our mechanics can fix up your antenna and we'll refuel you."

Dusty only half-listened as he watched Echo roll away with his psyche human friend. Sky was limp, coughing a few times. It finally made sense, why he felt sudden surges of power as they flew towards the _Flysenhower_. All this time, it had been Sky pushing every ounce of strength she had into him, just so he wouldn't worry about crashing into the ocean. But what about her? She was completely drained. Dusty never saw Sky look so weak before. She always seemed like such a strong girl, body, mind, and soul.

 _What have I done?_ Dusty groaned a bit as Bravo led him to the mechanics. _I dragged her into this race and look what it did to her. Skipper's gonna kill me._ Dusty blinked. _Skipper….you didn't lie to me, right? All those stories were true. They have to be. Skipper wouldn't lie to me. Volo Pro Veritas, right? Right?_

* * *

Sky wasn't exactly a picky eater, yet she tended to be selective on her food. But she didn't dare refuse the bowl of vegetables and soybeans placed in front of her. It's not much, the medic said as he handed her the bowl, just some frozen vegetables boiled really fast. But it was all Sky needed as she wolfed it down, washing the food down with the water they gave her. Once she finished, she immediately began feeling better. But the forklift and human medics insisted she stay on the cot she sat on while waiting for the psyche human doctor to come by. The doctor, a man with gray hair and a warm smile going by the name of Dr. Ben, was able to not only heal Sky's bruised shoulder, but also transfer some of his energy into her so she would be ready to take off with Dusty.

"I thought psych-mans could only share energy with vehicles." Sky said, watching in awe as a soft blue glow flowed from the aura around Dr. Ben and into her.

Dr. Ben chuckled, stopping the healing and the glow disappearing. "The more you learn about your powers, the more you learn of their capabilities. Not all psyche humans have my talent for healing, but several do. Your powers, for example, could be used in a similar way."

"Really?" Sky asked excitedly.

"In all my years, I've never met someone with such strong powers." Dr. Ben said. "I could feel it while I was transferring my strength. You're gonna do great things."

Sky ducked her head shyly. "Thanks. I'm still trying to experiment with my powers."

"All psyche humans do throughout their early years. Developing your powers takes time and practice." Dr. Ben assured. "But be careful. I can't tell you how much my partner has yelled at me for doing something crazy with my abilities."

"Partner?" Sky asked, tilting her head to one side in confusion.

"Are you talking bad about me again?" a female voice called as a light gray, AH-6 Little Bird helicopter bounced into the room.

Dr. Ben gasped exasperatedly. "Me? Talk bad about _you_? I'm insulted you would think I'd do that!"

The helicopter rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Benjamin."

Dr. Ben laughed. "Miss Skylar Amelia Riley, meet Lieutenant Jessica Albarn. She's my Soul Connect partner."

"You two can Soul Connect?" Sky gasped, amazed.

"You bet." Jessica nodded. "We met during training back in the fifties. Been working together ever since. I take it you haven't found your Soul Connection yet?"

"Not yet." Sky shrugged. "But I know I will someday."

"Don't ever give up that hope." Dr. Ben said. "We're not exactly religious or philosophical around here, but most of us believe in fate. I wasn't even looking for my Soul Connect partner when I found out it was Jess here."

"Don't go looking for your Soul Connection." Jessica advised. "When the time comes, fate will lead you to him or her."

Sky smiled warmly. She fully believed in fate. That's how she explained where she was now. "I'll remember that."

* * *

Sky hated what Dusty was doing, but after finding the Wall of Fame she knew she couldn't stop him from calling Skipper. She hoped everyone already left for Mexico, but fate decided to be finicky with her.

Skipper greeted them warmly. _"We're heading off to Mexico right now. Glad you and Sky got there safe. Weather report says a major storm is brewing out there."_

Dusty was so concerned about what he wanted to ask Skipper he couldn't worry about the storm. "I'm not in Mexico. I'm with the Jolly Wrenches."

Skipper paused. _"You're on the_ Flysenhower _?"_

"Yeah." Sky piped up, munching on an apple as a last-minute snack before takeoff. "We got a little detoured and they picked us up."

"Hey, I saw the Wall of Fame." Dusty said. "They only list one mission for you."

"Dusty." Sky intoned warningly, praying he would listen to her.

" _Look, you gotta get out of there!"_ Skipper urged.

"Is it true?"

" _Listen to me. Get above the storm!"_

"Skipper, is it true?!"

" _It's true!"_

Dusty gasped softly, his eyes wide. Sky hung her head in defeat. Skipper didn't speak again for a moment. _"It's true. I only flew one mission."_

Dusty's brain worked into overdrive as he tried to register what he just heard. "But…but all those stories….."

"Crophopper! Riley!" the captain of the _Flysenhower_ snapped as he came up and disconnected the line. "We got weather movin' in fast. You've gotta take off before it's too late. You don't go now, you don't go at all."

Sky finished her apple and tossed it into a nearby trashcan before hopping onto Dusty, strapping her harness in. But when they, Echo, and Bravo got to the deck, they realized what Skipper meant; buckets of rain fell down, soaking them both almost instantly as one of the forklifts on the deck directed them to one of the catapults. Sky heard something over the PA about a tropical cyclone formation, and Chug's words about crashing in the storm rang in her head. She shook it off as she wiped water from her goggles, preparing for takeoff. A barrier rose behind Dusty and Sky, and one of the humans on the deck hooked Dusty's landing gear to a V-shaped, metal harness. The soldiers around them started calling instructions, the most important and repeated one being "Get above the storm."

 _He'll never be able to climb that high._ Sky realized. _Or maybe fear of death by storm will get his tail into gear._

"Okay, engine full throttle." Echo instructed. "Nod to the shooter when you're set." Dusty nodded, revving up his engine and spinning his propeller. Sky activated the connection between them.

"Go win it for the Wrenches, guys." Bravo encouraged. "Volo Pro Veritas."

Dusty tensed a bit, but kept his gaze ahead to the rest of the deck that served as his runway. He felt Sky pat him encouragingly, and he looked to the shooter and gave a nod. Suddenly, the harness holding Dusty jerked forward and pulled him and Sky across the deck at high speeds. Sky's and Dusty's cheeks puffed out a bit from the wind, but soon they were launched into the sky and up in the air, flying through the storm towards Mexico.

* * *

Dusty's thoughts wandered as he flew through the storm. _How can it only be one mission?_

 _The Battle of Airway._

 _The Raid in Tujunga Harbor._

 _The Aleutians._

 _The Battle of Wake Island._

 _The Assault on Kunming._

"Dusty? Dusty!"

The crop duster gasped, Sky's voice and a bolt of lightning striking nearby pulling him from his thoughts. "Dusty, we have to get above the storm. There really is no way to avoid it this time."

"Right." Dusty nodded, continuing on and searching for a possible clear spot to go up through the clouds. But he realized something. "Wait a minute. Sky, did you know Skipper only flew one mission?"

"He's my father, of course I knew." Sky confirmed.

"What?" Dusty gasped. "You knew and you never thought to tell me?"

"You didn't need to know and it wasn't my place to say!" Sky snapped. "Now get above the storm!"

"You can't use that excuse! Not this time!" Dusty growled.

"Watch out!" Sky shouted, Dusty looking ahead to see a large wave coming up. He jerked upwards, only to lurch down again when several lightning strikes flared up before him. He and Sky grunted as his wing clipped the waves.

"You all right?" Dusty called.

"Fine!" Sky assured. "I'm going to push more of my power into you; use it to get above the storm!"

Dusty's mind flashed back to the sight of Sky lying limp on Echo's wing, unable to move on her own because of the last time she pushed so much power into him. Fear struck him. "No! Don't give me any more of your power!"

"Dusty, if we don't work together, we'll never make it!" Sky argued as Dusty's landing gear hit one of the waves. "We just gotta tilt the scale to give you the boost you need!"

Dusty grew angry; not just because Sky lied to him, but because she was trying to force her strength into him again. More than that, he grew concerned for her life. "Sky, if you do that, you'll get hurt! You almost died last time!"

"I did not!" Sky shouted over the wind and thunder. "Dusty, focus on the connection. It's breaking!"

"I don't want your help!" Dusty shouted. "You'll die! Just let me do the flying alone!"

"That's not how this works, Dusty!" Sky yelled. "I'm your friend and I'm not letting you go through this by yourself!" She could feel the connection wavering between them, Dusty's reluctance to accept it making it weak. She fought to keep it up. "Dusty, take my strength and we'll get out of this!"

"I can't lose you!" Dusty shouted. He and Sky looked ahead and gasped at the sight of a ginormous wave looming over them. Dusty would never be able to pull up in time to save himself. Sky closed her eyes and gave a shout of effort, forcing a huge surge of her strength and energy into Dusty's engine. Dusty felt a burst of power and he suddenly rocketed up and barely missed the wave. He shouted in surprise as he jerked around the air before the speed wore off and he was back at his normal pace, flying steadily through the storm. He panted heavily, amazed by the surge of power. "Sky? Sky, you all right?" Sky didn't respond to the crop duster, and Dusty hurriedly checked his side view mirror. But his eyes widened in horror to see Sky lying limply over his canopy, fully unconscious. "Oh no. Sky! Sky, wake up!" But the raven-haired girl stayed face down on the crop duster. Dusty looked ahead again and suddenly a wave came up and knocked against him. He put on an extra burst of speed to gain altitude, but a sneaky wave shot up and he ended up going right through the water.

Dusty's engine stalled, his propellers slowing to a stop. Gravity took over, dragging Dusty towards the ocean.

"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" Dusty shouted into his radio. "I'm going down!" He couldn't finish stating his coordinates as he hit the ocean water, excruciating pain flaring up in his nose and wings. He moved his tail and ailerons back and forth, desperately paddling up to the surface and breaking through with a gasp. But not two seconds later, another waved crashed onto him and forced him to more pain and more water. He floated back to the top again, gasping and struggling to stay afloat. He couldn't even feel Sky anymore, and he could only pray her harness kept her attached to him and the life vest inflated. "Help…" He gasped before his strength gave out and he sunk beneath the water.

Darkness consumed him.


	45. P: Pain

Chapter Eight: Pain

To say Dusty and Sky's friends were shocked was an understatement. As they watched a rescue helicopter lower a damaged and unconscious Dusty onto the ground, they could only stare in pure horror. The minute the rescue net went slack everyone gathered around quickly.

"Quick, to the hanger!" Skipper ordered. He and Sparky stayed back as medical personnel hooked up Dusty and carefully began pulling him towards the hospital, Dottie close behind and calling out orders. Chug, El Chu, Sparky, and Skipper stood back and watched, unable to fully comprehend what just happened. When Skipper's call to Dusty had been cut off so abruptly, he felt in his gut something bad might happen. But this was beyond any of their expectations.

Suddenly, Skipper made an even more horrifying discovery: Sky wasn't attached to Dusty's canopy.

"Sky?" Skipper whispered, looking all around. "Skylar! Where is she? Where's my daughter?!"

"Sky!" Sparky and Chug called, as though expecting the girl to just pop up and say "Here I am!"

"There!" El Chu shouted, directing their attention to another rescue helicopter coming in. This time, a net attached to a gurney was airlifted down. Sky rested on the gurney, soaking wet and not moving. El Chu heard the medics shouting in Spanish, something about Sky….not breathing….. _"Santa Chrysler."_ He gasped.

Skipper stared, wide-eyed, as his daughter's unmoving form was unloaded from the gurney. "Skylar. No, Skylar!" He screamed for his daughter, trying to move forward. But Sparky put on his brakes and tugged on Skipper's back wheel, slowing the Corsair. It took both El Chu and Chug's combined efforts with Sparky's to keep Skipper back, forcing the Corsair to watch helplessly as the human medics pulled off Sky's cracked goggles and torn bandana, quickly pulling off her inflated life vest and unbuttoning her jacket to begin chest compressions for CPR. Compressions, breath, compressions, breath. Skipper's eyes never left his daughter's still face, but she didn't breathe as the CPR continued. _Skylar. Skylar, wake up. Oh Chrysler please don't take her. Please, please don't take her. Please._

Suddenly, Sky gasped deeply and began coughing up seawater. She turned to her side as the water came rushing out of her lungs, gasping and coughing as the cool night air soothed her burning throat. Her eyes fluttered open, her breathing labored, and she stared off into space. She could hear people shouting in Spanish around her, but all she could focus on what Skipper several yards in front of her. Blue-green eyes locked with blue-gray, and then Sky's body gave in to the fatigue. Her eyes rolled back in their sockets as she submitted to unconsciousness.

Skipper watched, relieved yet still shocked, as a forklift carefully lifted Sky onto another gurney and several medics whisked away to the hospital with Dusty. Feeling him relax, Chug and El Chu backed away from him. Skipper's breathing became ragged as he struggled to hold back his tears. Sparky immediately came to the Corsair's side, patting his wing comfortingly and speaking soothing words. But Skipper hardly heard it, the look in Sky's eyes haunting him. It was a look that begged for forgiveness, as though she felt she failed her father by coming in hurt.

 _No…_ Skipper thought. _I'm the one who failed…I'm so sorry, Skylar…please forgive me._

* * *

Dottie took a look at Dusty's x-rays, knowing the news she would break to the now-conscious crop duster was _not_ going to be good. "Broken wing ribs, twisted gear, bent prop, and your main spar is cracked…bad." She looked to the human medic in the room, who walked over to where the now-awoken Sky sat on Skipper's wing.

"Miss Riley." The medic said, looking just as regretful as Dottie. "You have a mild concussion, sprained wrist, broken and cracked ribs, and you have severely broken your leg."

Sky stared at the ground, her left leg in a cast from the thigh down and her right arm in a sling. "How bad?" she murmured.

The medic sighed. "We had to reset your tibia and fibula while you were knocked out before putting it in a cast. Your knee is mostly just bruised, but you have some minor cracks in your femur." Sky wanted to slouch down, but the pain in her chest from her ribs prevented such action.

Everything they worked for, everything Dusty wanted to prove, was over.

They failed for real this time.

Dusty turned around, glaring a bit, his eyes passing over El Chu and Chug in the medical hanger with him. He caught sight of Sky, and he instantly felt guilty. This was even worse than what happened on the _Flysenhower_ , and this time Sky almost _did_ die. But when he saw Skipper, Dusty's glare returned.

"One mission?" Dusty growled a little. "So much for Volo Pro Veritas."

Skipper looked down guiltily. Sky matched his expression, unable to look at Dusty. Skipper turned to everyone else in the room. "Can we get a minute alone, please?" Chug, El Chu, Dottie, and the human medic turned and left quietly. Skipper cast a look to his personal medic. "You too, Sparky." Sparky looked reluctant, but more sad than anything else because he knew what was coming. He rolled out the door, leaving Skipper with his trainees. Skipper looked to Dusty, the glare in the crop duster's eyes fierce as ever. He sighed silently. "My first patrol as a Jolly Wrench was at Glendal Canal. My squadron was all rookies, Corsairs and a few human riders, including one riding me. All razor sharp. I should know. I trained every single one of 'em. It was supposed to be a routine patrol. A milk run. Then one of my Corsairs noticed an enemy ship down at the ocean below us. We were ordered to recon and report back, but it seemed like just one ship. They were all rippin' and roarin' to get into a fight, ready to take down the enemy like they were trained to do. I ordered us to fly down….but when we broke through the clouds, we saw not just one enemy ship. It was the entire fleet."

Dusty's glare lessened as he stared in shock. "What?"

"It was too late to pull up." Skipper sighed. The sound of gunfire and his squadrons' screams rang through his memory as though it just happened a few minutes ago. "My psyche human rider was shot and killed. Every single plane and human was shot down, including myself. I crashed into the ocean, but was rescued and taken to the _Flysenhower_. None of my rookies survived." He paused, guilt weighing heavily on him even when Sky patted his wing comfortingly. "My whole squadron. Under my command. After that, I just couldn't bring myself to fly again." Skipper looked to Sky, then glanced back at Dusty. "Let me ask you something, Dusty. If you knew the truth about my past, would you have asked me to train you?"

Dusty paused, opening his mouth to say he would. But as he thought about it, he realized just how much Skipper's story terrified him. "No." Dusty whispered. There was silence for a long, tense moment until Dusty painfully turned and rolled to a corner of the hanger.

"I'm sorry, Dusty." Skipper said. Sparky returned several minutes later, pushing Skipper and Sky out of the medical ward and towards Dusty's hanger where they were staying. Skipper looked to Sky. "Skylar, I owe you an apology as well."

"No you don't." Sky said, smiling softly. "Just don't shove anything down Dusty's throat, huh?" She chuckled softly, but her face fell when she saw tears building up in Skipper's eyes. She sighed, patting the Corsair's nose in comfort.

* * *

Sparky pushed Sky into the medical hanger, where Dusty remained the rest of the night before. The next leg of the race wasn't until tomorrow, but there's no way either one of them could race now. Sky couldn't walk on her broken leg, and her sprained wrist and damaged ribs made using a crutch impossible. She nodded to Sparky, allowing him to leave, and used her undamaged foot to pull the wheelchair she rode over to Dusty. The crop duster still stared into a corner, looking like he didn't get any sleep.

"Hey Dust Storm." Sky greeted as she pulled herself into Dusty's line of sight.

Dusty looked up to Sky and would've broken into tears if he wasn't so tired. "Sky. Oh Sky, I'm so sorry. I put you in so much danger and—"

Sky shushed him. "Dusty, this has been an _amazing_ adventure, and I'm so happy I was able to go on it with you. Thank you."

"But look at you." Dusty stared at the sling and her cast. "You're so hurt."

"But I'll live." Sky said with a small smile. "I have no regrets, Dusty. You're the one who had the dream of racing. I just dreamt of flying. Not only did you make my dream come true, you shared _your_ dream with me. I am so thankful that we were able to live it out together." She pulled herself closer to Dusty, putting her free, undamaged hand to his nose. She sighed, her smile dropping. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."

"About Skipper?" Dusty half-guessed, half-hoped.

Sky nodded. "Yes and no. Because I put my hopes for Skipper on your wings."

Dusty blinked. "What do you mean? Skipper was the one who lied. He's the one who trained us without telling me his actions got a whole slew of planes and some humans killed."

"And it's because of attitudes like that that he can't stop blaming himself." Sky said. "You know how I found out about his past? He let me look into his memories and see what happened from his eyes. My powers let me do that." She swallowed. "But I don't know how to use my powers to take away the pain he felt on that day, or make him forget about that horrible memory. Gosh, do I wish I could."

"Are you…..defending him?" Dusty asked, sounding a bit surprised.

Tears began streaming down Sky's cheeks. "It was a war, Dusty. People die in wars. Say Skipper ordered his squadron to turn back and to not fight. What if some of them dived down anyway and forced Skipper to go after them? What if they all just left? Who's to say they wouldn't all be killed in another battle? But it had to happen on that day, under his command. But no, I don't think it was really his fault." She sniffled, taking a moment to gather her composure. "I've never seen war, Dusty, except from Skipper's eyes, and I pray to Chrysler nobody has to go through what Skipper did. It's my fault this happened. I convinced Skipper to train you even when he was adamant about not doing it. I thought if I could show him he was still a good teacher, if he could manage to make you and me great racers, maybe he'd stop blaming himself for what happened that day." Her hand fell away from Dusty's nose, but he wished she would keep it up so he could comfort her better. Sky's tears increased. "I put all my faith in you giving him the closure he needed. I couldn't do anything to heal his pain, and I'm his daughter. I thought…I thought if I couldn't do it, maybe you could." She raised her head to lock her now-red eyes with Dusty's ocean blue irises. "I'm so sorry, Dusty. I made a gamble and I lost, and it almost cost me and you dearly."

"You?" Dusty repeated, his voice only a whisper.

"You almost lost your life." Sky said. "I almost lost one of my closest friends. I don't have a family outside of Propwash, Dusty. It's just Skipper and Sparky and you and Chug and Mayday and Dottie. If I lose any of you…." She couldn't continue, her breathing ragged.

Dusty stared at Sky, tears of his own building up but he blinked them away. Though it caused him pain, he rolled forward several inches and nuzzled Sky's head gently. Sky leaned into his touch, sighing. Dusty sighed too. "I forgive you, Sky. You don't ever have to blame yourself for this. I just wish Skipper had told me the truth."

"Dusty?"

Dusty and Sky parted to see Dottie had approached them. "You said I wasn't built for this. You said I was going to put Sky in danger. I guess I should've listened to you."

"No, Dusty, you shouldn't have. I'm glad you didn't." Dottie said in a soft voice. "Look, Skipper may have lied about his life in the war, but he was right about you. He was right about you _and_ Sky. You're racers, not a crop duster and a regular farm girl, and you've shown the whole world what you can do when you work together. Nobody can ever look at you and call you a 'just a crop duster' ever again."

Dusty and Sky looked to Dottie before glancing to Chug in the doorway. The fuel truck gave a warm smile, one the two racers returned. "Thanks, Dottie." Dusty said with a smile. "That means a lot."

"Considering you were the most stubborn out of all of us." Sky chuckled, wincing a bit as the movement shifted her ribs.

Dusty's face fell. "We've gone as far as we can go. We're busted up, I mean look at us."

"Yes, look at you."

Everyone turned to see El Chu just outside the hanger, smiling warmly. Dottie gingerly rolled Dusty to the doorway of the hanger, Chug coming up behind Sky and pushing her wheelchair to be beside Dusty.

"Dusty, Sky, I will not race without you." El Chu moved aside, one of his forklift aides pushing over a car with a set of wings resting on it.

Dusty blinked in surprise. "Hey, that's the wing of a T-33 Shooting Star!"

"Nerd." Sky sassed in a soft voice, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"When the great Mexican Air Force needed help, American T-33s came." El Chu explained. "They did not ask questions. They did not hesitate. They were there. Because _that_ is what _compadres_ do."

Dusty smiled. "El Chu, I really appreciate—"

The Mexican racer shushed him. " _Silencio._ After all, you helped me. Now we are here to help you."

"We?" Dusty and Sky repeated.

" _Oui."_ Rochelle said, pushing forward a cart of parts. "Good luck tomorrow, Dusty and Sky. I am so proud to compete with you."

"You're a good couple of eggs!" Bulldog smiled warmly as he came up. "Look, here's a sat-nav device. Just in case you find yourself lost without a friend to help."

Dusty and Sky shared a look and a smile. "Thank you, Bulldog." They said. Soon, they realized all the racers were coming up with spare and new parts to fix Dusty up. There seemed to be enough to build a whole new plane from scratch. Every racer complimented Dusty and Sky, wishing them luck for tomorrow. Dusty smiled warmly. "Thanks, everyone. Really."

"This is fantastic!" Dottie said happily, scanning the parts. "Looks like all you need now is—"

"A new propeller?" Ishani asked, pushing forward a cart of her own. "How about a Sky Slycer Mark Five?"

Dusty blinked in surprise to see the new propeller, the Indian racer wearing her old one. "But you could still win the race."

Ishani chuckled. "Oh I intend to. But with my old propeller. I think you'll have much better luck with this one."

Dusty's smile returned. "Thanks, Ishani." He looked around, smiling broadly. He had a chance. He could still be in the race. He and Sky… Dusty's face fell yet again as he turned to his psyche human partner. "Sky?"

The raven-haired girl smiled. "I'll see you in New York, Dusty. You go win it yourself."

"But…no, no I can't do that." Dusty said firmly.

"Dusty, the officials are never going to let me race like this." Sky said. "They can make an exception to let you go on without me."

"I don't care." Dusty said, turning to the rest of the racers. "Thank you all for your help, but I can't do this without Sky beside me. She's my co-pilot, my friend." He looked back to her. "Like a little sister, annoying yet so brave and kind." Sky felt tears build up in her eyes again, but she wiped them away. Dusty looked to the racers. "I'm not going back out there without her."

"We can help with that, _amigo._ " El Chu assured. He gave a sharp whistle, and a Latino man jogged up to them. "This is Rodrigo. He is an old friend of mine. He is a psych-man doctor."

Sky brightened up. "Really? So you can heal me?"

"It will take some work." Rodrigo admitted. "But I can make you well enough to race."

"We'll lend a hand." Tsubasa's psyche human rider said as he and the other human riders came up. "If you will teach us how to use our powers to heal, we can help her."

Sky stared in surprise, still smiling. "You would do that?"

"Such loyalty that you and your partner share is admirable, Riley-san." Tsubasa's partner said. "It would be great dishonor to _not_ fly with you." The other psyche humans nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." Sky said gratefully. She smiled and Dusty and gave a nod.

"All right, you guys! Let's get them ready to race!" Dottie urged.

* * *

As the mechanics of the racers worked around the clock to fix Dusty up in the medical ward, the psych-man riders and Rodrigo got to work healing Sky back in Dusty's hanger. The seventeen-year-old thanked them a thousand times, wincing a bit when the psyche humans received her injuries as they healed. With Rodrigo's help, they were able to fully heal Sky's concussion, ribs, wrist, knee, and femur. Unfortunately, they could only partially heal the rest of her broken leg, the wound being too severe and Sky refusing to let even Rodrigo try and fix it all the way. So he wrapped the leg in a strong cast and supported it with an even stronger brace, and the race officials declared her fit enough to race again.

Sky thanked Rodrigo and the psych-man racers again as they left to rest and prepare for the last leg tomorrow. As they left, Sky picked up her newly fixed aviation goggles and began shining them. But as she looked in the faint reflection of the lenses, she noticed a familiar figure in the doorway.

"So…..you're going back out there….." Skipper said.

Sky sighed, turning to her father as he approached her. "Yes. We have a chance to get back out there and show the world what we can do. We can't give up now. I know you don't want me to go—"

"You're right, I don't." Skipper said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "I want you to stay here, where it's safe, or to just go home now and not go back out there. I would physically hold you back if it meant you didn't get back in that race." Sky looked up to see tears forming in Skipper's eyes. "But I'm not going to. Even though every bit of my father side tells me to keep you back, I know it would be wrong to keep you from this."

Sky stared at Skipper, practically feeling the guilt he felt radiating off him like heat off a tarmac on a summer day. She limped forward and hugged the Corsair, sighing. Skipper nuzzled her lovingly. Sky looked up and smiled. "Dad, Dusty didn't really _have_ to know about your past. You still taught us to be great racers."

"But I taught him Volo Pro Veritas." Skipper protested. "I taught it to _you_. And I'm a hypocrite for not following it myself."

"No, you're not." Sky assured. "You're not a hypocrite for wanting to hide the pain of your past. A lot of people in the world do that….including your daughter, who did that for six years until she met a stubborn old Corsair who taught her how to be loved."

Skipper stared at Sky, and he allowed a soft smile to appear on his lips. "Just promise you'll be safe, all right?"

"I promise." Sky said, hugging Skipper and kissing his nose. "See you at the finish line?" No response. "Okay. See you at home then."

"…all right…."

"I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Skylar Amelia."


	46. P: Victories

Chapter Nine: Victories

The next day, everyone prepared for the last leg to New York, finishing the Wings Around the Globe Rally. But what made everyone pause and stare in shock was the sight of Dusty and Sky heading towards the track. Dusty was newly fixed, most of his hide made from new or spare part materials including, most noticeably, his wings and propeller. Sky stood on his wing, per the usual, not seeming to notice her leg below the knee was still in a cast and a strong brace. Her Jolly Wrench jacket was dried out and the minor tears fixed, her bandana tied around her wrist and her jet-black hair pulled into a ponytail. Sparky even repainted the Jolly Wrench insignia on Dusty's nose again.

"We'll see you in New York." Dottie said as Dusty and Sky passed their hanger.

"Thanks, guys." Dusty said.

"Catch ya at the finish line." Sky nodded with a smile.

"I'll keep your shoe safe until then!" Sparky said, holding up Sky's Converse. She couldn't exactly wear it while her leg and foot were in a cast. Sparky, Dottie, and Chug waved as their racer friends continued on.

Sky looked ahead to see Dusty traveling straight towards Ripslinger, his propeller spinning. "You don't have to do this, Dusty. He's not worth our time."

"I want him to see us." Dusty said. "I want to show him he hasn't broken us and he never will."

Sky smirked, but glared when Ripslinger caught sight of them. He began spinning his double propellers, rolling up to the Propwash racers. "Bolting on a few new parts and slapping a Band-Aid on your wounds doesn't change who you are." Ripslinger sneered. "I can still smell the farm on the both of you."

"The farm?" Sky laughed confidently. "You hear that, Dusty? He can still smell Propwash Junction on us. Like that's supposed to be a bad thing."

Dusty laughed too. "You know what? I finally get it. You're afraid of getting beat by a _crop duster and a human!_ " With every section of that sentence, Dusty scooted forward and forced Ripslinger to jump back. "Well check six, 'cause we're comin'." Dusty turned and rolled off, Sky making a "humph" sound and standing up straighter.

Ripslinger caught sight of several spectators nearby. "And what are you punks lookin' at?" He barked, making them scatter. He turned and glared at Ned and Zed. "We are going to end this, once and for all." Ned and Zed laughed in agreement, following their boss towards the racetrack.

Skipper, hiding behind the corner of the hangers, peered out and stared after Ripslinger and his buddies. He heard almost the entire confrontation, right through Ripslinger's threat. He knew the racer was getting desperate for a win. Skipper had seen more desperate people do crazy things, so he could only imagine what Ripslinger had in store. He clearly didn't care what he had to do, especially after risking Dusty's and Sky's lives by tampering with their radios. He was going to seriously hurt Dusty. He could re-injure Sky.

Ripslinger was threatening Skipper's baby girl.

Skipper glared hard. _Oh I don't think so._

* * *

Race officials ruled Dusty's and Sky's radios had been tampered with; so, despite not finishing the last leg, they would be allowed to compete. But there was one problem: a severe time penalty. It would take a serious amount of horsepower and willpower to go from last to first. But Sky and Dusty didn't worry about it as they prepared for takeoff. The two of them tensed up, ready to go, and the second the green flag went down they shot off like a bullet. Their opponents still flew far ahead of them, but Dusty kept his eyes on the landscape ahead. Flying low, per the usual, he sped across the land at breakneck speeds. Sky continued to speak to him, at his request, giving encouragement and letting him know when he passed the racers.

"I need you talking to me the entire time." Dusty had told her. "Especially when we get close to Ripslinger. I wouldn't put it past him to pull something funny in a desperate attempt to win."

"Roger that." Sky had said.

Now, she looked back and forth between the racers above them and the road ahead of them. They glided through canyons and ripped through flatlands, oftentimes leaving a trail of dust in their wake.

Sky looked up as they neared the desert area. "Okay. We just passed Rochelle and El Chu. Now it's just us, Ripslinger, Ned, and Zed. Keep it up, Dusty, we're doing great."

"Keep an eye out for Ripslinger." Dusty said. "If we're lucky, we can sneak right under him."

 _I don't think we're going to be that lucky._ Sky thought. But she obeyed and kept her eyes ahead for any sight of black and green. They were deep into the desert now, far away from the other racers and out of camera range. Sky looked up and spotted a familiar trio of planes. She leaned down closer to Dusty. "They're right ahead of us. What's the plan?"

"Just watch them." Dusty said. "I'll see if I can get past without them noticing. Where are they now?"

Sky looked up, but gasped. "They're gone!"

"What?" Dusty asked. "Where'd they go?"

"I don't know!" Sky said, looking around wildly for their opponents. Suddenly, she heard the sound of another engine on top of her right before Ripslinger's landing gear knocked her from her perch. _Oh not again!_

"Running out of airspace, Crophopper?" Ripslinger sneered, pushing Dusty down and forcing him to hit a bunch of cacti. Sky covered her head with one arm as cacti flew everywhere, allowing the harness to keep her attached to Dusty as she tried to shove Ripslinger off him.

"Stop it!" Sky shouted. "Get off him!" The green and black racer only laughed.

" _LEAVE THEM ALONE!"_

Ripslinger shouted in surprise and pain as a streak of blue shot past and knocked him aside, allowing Dusty to pull up.

"Skipper?!" Dusty gasped.

"Dad!" Sky cheered.

" _Dusty, pull up!"_ Skipper ordered.

Dusty obeyed just before he could hit a large rock tower in his path. Sky laughed as she swung herself back up onto Dusty's back, and Dusty smiled broadly at the sight of his mentor actually soaring through the air above him. "Skipper, you're flying!"

" _Oh, you noticed?"_ Skipper's voice over the radio indicated a smirk. _"I got Rip! You take care of the other two!"_

"Got it!" Dusty said.

"Let's go, Dusty!" Sky urged, readying herself. She and Dusty shot off through the desert canyon, Ned and Zed close behind them. It seemed no matter how many rock towers they shot through, the Twin Turbos managed to stay on their tails. Sky looked up to see Ripslinger going after Skipper, the old Corsair managing to keep several feet ahead of the racer.

" _They're on your six! You gotta lose 'em!"_ Skipper urged.

"I'm trying!" Dusty called.

 _What I'd give for a good-size wrench._ Sky ducked as Ned swooped over, trying to knock her off. The next time he did, she gave a firm punch to his landing gear and sent him spiraling off to one side. Sky yelped in pain, shaking her now-throbbing hand. "Ouch! That wasn't smart!"

Dusty desperately tried to put on more speed, pulling up beside Skipper for a moment. "Skip, we can't shake 'em!"

"Pull hard right!" Skipper barked. "I'll break left and take out Rip. Use the rocks!"

"Aye-aye, coach!" Sky nodded, her and Dusty breaking off from Skipper. She looked ahead. "Over there, Dusty! Let's go!"

"Keep your head down!" Dusty warned, shooting towards a couple rock towers much closer together than the others. Dusty and Sky passed a tower, performing a perfect radial-G. Zed's wings clipped the rocks and he began spiraling out of control. Sky pressed herself close to Dusty as the plane made a knife-edge turn, passing through a small space between two rock towers. Ned and Zed, however, ended up getting stuck when they tried passing through at the same time.

"Yeah!" Dusty cheered.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Sky punched the air. "Now let's go find Skipper!"

Ripslinger didn't think it would be so hard to catch a grizzled old Corsair, but Skipper proved him otherwise. The Corsair didn't show, but the elated feeling of being back up in the air and darting around in this wild dogfight brought him back to his glory days in the war. It was, dare he say it, fun. He managed to make a hard turn Ripslinger avoided, making an inverted loop so that he chased the green and black racer rather than the other way around.

"Say hello to the Warsaw Windmill!" Skipper smirked, pulling alongside Rip and jerking a wing up. The resulting tilt caused Ripslinger to spin crazily as he fell off to one side.

"Whoa! You're crazy!" Ripslinger shouted.

"That's right!" Skipper laughed. He pulled ahead, spying his trainees just below him. "Dusty! Sky! You okay?"

"Yeah!" Dusty called. "Yeah, we're fine."

"You are the coolest dad ever!" Sky laughed.

"To quote you, my dear, 'Duh!'" Skipper smirked. "Not bad for a crop duster."

Dusty laughed. "And not bad for an old-timer who doesn't fly."

"Oh yeah?" Skipper asked. "Well, I may be old, but at least I ain't afraid of heights." Dusty laughed. Sky giggled furiously and Skipper chuckled.

 _SHING!_

Skipper shouted in pain as a streak of green and black shot past, pieces of the Corsair's tail bouncing off Sky's arms and chest.

"Skipper!" Sky screamed.

Dusty shot down after his fallen mentor. Luckily, Skipper managed to level out and stay airborne, but Sky and Dusty stared in shock at the Corsair's torn tail. "Oh no." Dusty groaned. "Skipper, are you okay?"

"You kiddin'?" Skipper chuckled. "I'm great!"

"But what about your tail?" Dusty asked worriedly.

"I'll live." Skipper assured. "Go!"

Sky and Dusty glared in the direction Ripslinger left, putting on more speed as they chased after him. "Oh it is _so_ on!" Sky growled, the sight of Skipper being attacked replaying over and over again in her head. "Nobody messes with my family!"

"You got that right." Dusty agreed. "Let's show him how it's done!"

The two managed to catch sight of Ripslinger, but as they headed into the final stretch through the clouded over forests near New York, the green and black racer still maintained his lead. They caught up fast, pushing their limits and determined to not let Skipper's work helping them go in vain. Passing a couple radio towers, they performed another radial-G to help boost them forward to fly right alongside Ripslinger.

"What?" Ripslinger gasped, surprised and irritated.

"Hi." Dusty greeted. Sky stuck her tongue out at their opponent.

Then, Ripslinger put on an extra burst of speed and pulled ahead of them. Dusty and Sky strained a bit, fighting to pick up the pace and work their way back up. But no matter how much they tried, the torque had reached its maximum, and even Sky's power boost wouldn't be able to help them if they used it.

"No!" Dusty groaned, Ripslinger disappearing into the distance.

"Damn it!" Sky slapped her hand against the handlebar. "Now what do we do?" _We're so close! We can't lose now or this will all have been for nothing!_

Light began shining down on the two as they reached the edge of the cloud cover, and they looked up to see familiar cloud formations high above them.

 _Tailwinds like nothing you've ever flown._

"Dusty?" Sky asked, glaring in determination.

"Roger that, Skip." Dusty breathed. He steeled his nerves and began climbing, straight up towards the clouds. As they got higher and higher, Dusty's fear instincts began kicking in. "Don't look down. Ugh, don't look down!"

"No, Dusty, look down." Sky said.

"What?" Dusty gasped.

"Look down, and then keep climbing." Sky ordered. "We can do this, for our sakes if not for Skipper's." She put a hand to the side of his cockpit. "Dusty, look down."

Dusty gulped, then looked back behind him. He gasped deeply, feeling like something was trying to drag him down to the ground again. _Oh Chrysler! Oh Chrysler!_

"Dusty!" Sky called, keeping her voice calm. "Easy, now. Easy. Keep going. I'm right here. I'm _with_ you, Dusty. Every leg, every mile of the way, I'm always with you."

Dusty panted a bit, but swallowed back the bile in his throat and pushed his engine to carry him higher. _I'm with you, Sky. Just like you're always with me._

The two of them broke through the clouds to the jet stream, and suddenly the winds propelled them along faster than they ever went before. Dusty and Sky shouted in surprise as Dusty tried to realign himself, the wind cold against Sky's face. But once Dusty managed to get on a smooth glide path and their speed picked up, wide smiles appeared on the racers' lips.

" _Oh yeah!"_ They exclaimed, cheering and whooping and laughing. Dusty did a few loops and Sky punched the air, not minding the slight lack of oxygen from being up so high.

After some time, they noticed the air below them getting clearer and New York City came into sight. Also in sight was Ripslinger, on his way to supposedly another victory.

"Ready, Dusty?" Sky called.

"Right!" Dusty nodded. He turned upside down and dived, similarly to how they did during training, and sped down towards the finish line. Once they reached the track, they flipped back up again and began closing in fast on Ripslinger. The finish line was just ahead of them, the crowds staring in anticipation.

Ripslinger tilted down towards the cameras, and Dusty and Sky snuck up behind him.

They shot up….

….yet another radial-G pass executed perfectly….

…..and passed Ripslinger to slice the finish line with Dusty's propellers!

" _YES!"_ Dusty exclaimed. Sky cheered loudly, punching the air and hugging Dusty. They barely noticed the roar of the crowds or Ripslinger crashing into some portable toilets off to one side. Dusty landed, skidding to a halt as the rest of the racers came in cheering for them. Dusty looked to Sky. "Nice job, co-pilot."

"We did it!" Sky laughed, dismounting from Dusty and hugging him tightly. "Oh my gosh, we did it!" She couldn't stop smiling as she and Dusty locked eyes. "That was some pretty good flyin', Dust Storm."

"Wouldn't have been the same without you there with me, Soarin' Sky." Dusty said. Sky laughed a bit, kissing the crop duster and making him blush a bit. Soon, they found themselves surrounded by reporters and audience members, all cheering for them.

"Well done, you two." Ishani said. "The world has a new set of champions." She smiled, her gaze mostly on Dusty. "And so do I."

Dusty felt the heat rising in his face, but still smiled. "Thanks, Ishani. For everything."

Sky nudged Dusty playfully. "Casanova."

Dusty rolled his eyes, hoping his hide wouldn't melt from how hot he grew. "Oh shut up." Sky laughed, but she and Dusty looked up in surprise to see a familiar German car/plane. "Franz? What are you doing here?"

"We came to watch you win the race." Franz said. "You are an inspiration to all of us."

"'All of us'?" Dusty repeated.

"Yeah. All of us who want to do more than just what we were built for." Franz said, and Dusty and Sky turned to see a wide range of different kinds of vehicles, all cheering for the former crop duster.

"Wow." Sky breathed. "Way to go, Dusty."

"What, you think I did all that by myself?" Dusty asked. "It's a two-way street."

"Yeah, but you're the former crop duster who became a racer." Sky shrugged. "I'm just the co-pilot."

"No you're not." Dusty said firmly. "You're the one who was willing to give her power and strength to someone like me for the sake of my safety and peace of mind. You're the one who was always encouraging me even when I had moments where I thought about giving up. You're the one who helped me conquer my fears. Sky, you're so selfless and brave and I will always be thankful that I know you."

"I'm not that special." Sky tucked a stray strand of hair behind one ear, fiddling with her goggles as they hung around her neck.

"You _are_ that special." Dusty assured. "You're my friend, and the coolest psyche human I've ever known. This dream we had of racing…it's not just my dream that I shared with you. It's always belonged to both of us. And we accomplished it together." Dusty lifted a wing up to raise Sky a little higher. "Let's hear it for Skylar Amelia Riley! The best human racer the world has ever known!"

Sky stared as the crowd's cheers became louder, and she allowed herself to smile warmly as she soaked up the attention and praises. There were times when she would fear using her psyche human abilities in front of people besides the Propwash Junction residents, worried someone would scorn her like her parents did. But this moment alone was enough to stomp out those fears forever.

Then Sky's face fell to one of shock. "Oh my gosh! Dusty, we forgot about Skipper!"

Dusty gasped. "Oh man, he's still out there! Hop on; we'll go find him!"

Sky nodded as she began mounting Dusty. _I can't believe we left him out there! What if he crashed into the desert? What if Ned and Zed got him? What if a wild animal got to him? What if—_

"Who's that guy?" someone in the crowd called, drawing everyone's attention to another plane flying in. Dusty and Sky smiled broadly at the sight of Skipper, the Corsair also wearing a warm grin as he flew overhead and pulled around for a landing. Sparky's jaw dropped, and he smiled broadly at the sight. Dusty hurriedly rolled towards his mentor, Sky jumping off him and half-limping, half-running to her father.

"Dad!" Sky laughed, running around his propellers and hugging the Corsair. Skipper chuckled as he nuzzled his daughter lovingly. Sky sighed, then laughed and lightly punched Skipper. "You rascal! You had me worried sick!"

"Just keeping you on your toes." Skipper chuckled. He looked to Dusty, smiling warmly.

Dusty smiled back, all his previous anger with the Corsair seeming nonexistent. "Thanks, Skip."

"Don't thank me." Skipper said. "I learned a lot more from you than you ever learned from me."

Sky smiled proudly at the two planes. "Boys….." she sighed. _I'm so proud of both of you._

* * *

A loud whistle rang out across the _Flysenhower_ as Skipper, Dusty, and Sky arrived on the deck to prepare for takeoff.

Needless to say, the entire crew and even Flysenhower himself were overjoyed at Dusty and Sky's victory. So much, they invited the racers and Skipper back to the Flysenhower to celebrate and give Sky and Dusty very special gifts. As Dusty and Skipper were hooked up to the catapults, Skipper glanced over to check out Dusty's and Sky's new looks. Dusty had a new three-blade propeller, similar to his old one, but his entire paintjob had been changed to match the Jolly Wrench Hornets on the _Flysenhower_. He was mostly black and gray in color now, with the piston and cross-wrenches painted down his flanks and across his tail. A Navy ribbon was painted on one side of him. Sky received a new additions to her look as well, though she kept her jeans, sneakers, and Navy commander jacket (newly cleaned). Instead of her bandana and goggles, she now wore a helmet and visor identical to Echo's and Bravo's, black and dotted with white Jolly Wrench insignias. She also received a pair of gloves and a gray scarf with a black piston and cross-wrenches stitched into it. A Purple Heart ribbon and medal pinned securely into her jacket, awarded to the girl for almost dying for the sake of her teammate.

Sky pulled her visor down while Dusty and Skipper started up their propellers. "You ready, wingman?" Dusty called.

"Roger that." Skipper nodded.

"Honorary Jolly Wrench." Echo smiled proudly. "How's that feel, guys?"

"Feels great." Dusty said happily.

"Ditto." Sky nodded.

"Back in the saddle again, eh, Skipper?" Echo laughed.

"Well they didn't have these fancy toys the last time I did this." Skipper admitted.

"Nothing to it!" Dusty assured. "They hook you up, you nod to the shooter over there, and hang on!"

"Here we go!" Sky whooped.

The catapults launched, throwing the two planes and psyche human into the skies. Skipper whooped and laughed, discovering he rather liked that method of takeoff. Sky laughed, smiling warmly between Dusty and Skipper. Skipper smiled to his trainees, the younger flyers returning the gesture.

 _I knew you could do it, Dusty._ Sky thought. _You did the one thing I couldn't do: you healed him._

"Last one back to Propwash buys!" Dusty challenged.

"Ha-ha! You're on!" Skipper smirked determinedly.


	47. PFAR: Forced Vacation

**A/N: And so, the final arc of my story! Summary for this arc: Sky and Dusty's career as racers is suddenly brought to a grinding halt because of Dusty's damaged gearbox. And if that wasn't enough, Sky is starting to wonder if being a racer really is all she wanted to do. As they pursue the job of firefighter to help Mayday and Propwash Junction, Sky makes an amazing discovery that enhances her powers. But will this new discovery push her and Dusty apart? Or can they stay together through one of their toughest challenges?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Connection Through Fire**

Chapter One: Forced Vacation

 _Dedicated to the brave firefighters around the world who risk their lives to save the lives of others._

It only took that one win in the Wings Around the Globe Rally to launch Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Amelia "Sky" Riley into infamy. The two years that followed were simply part of the adventure. They became racing legends, traveling across the United States and even to a couple different countries around the world to participate in races and make appearances. It wasn't all about the racing, of course. They still made time to be at home in Propwash Junction and be with their friends. Skipper, Sparky, Chug, and Dottie did their best to join the pair at their races, watching in amazement as Dusty and Sky wowed the audience with the teamwork and flawless flying. Though proud of their titles as Honorary Jolly Wrenches, Dusty took on his old orange and white paint scheme and Sky went back to tying her hair back with a bandana and wearing her aviation goggles. At Sky's request, she and Dusty began making regular visits to the orphanage where Sky once lived. Though the now-nineteen-year-old used to always keep in touch with Rosa, she found she missed seeing her old foster mother. The children of the orphanage were all big fans of Sky, and meeting both her and Dusty was like a dream come true for them. Having Skipper as her father, Sky continued to see Rosa as her mother even though she didn't live in the orphanage anymore.

Now, with it being the middle of summer, Sky and Dusty decided to return home to Propwash for a while. The entire town prepared for their annual Corn Fest, coming up in a month. It was nice to be home for a while. Dusty and Sky lived to race, but nothing beat Propwash Junction.

"Awesome picture, you guys!" Sparky said, picking up a newspaper outside the Fill N' Fly. "Except, uh, your eyes are closed, Dust."

"Nice." Sky laughed, standing beside Chug as he refueled Dusty.

"You and Sky make quite the team." Mayday said. "Saw it all on my radio with pictures."

Dusty, Sky, Sparky, and Chug blinked. "You mean your TV." Dusty guessed.

"No, that's clearing up." Mayday said. "My bumper was nearly corroded right though. All rusty and blistered."

"Charming, Mayday." Sky said with a giggle. Like most folks Mayday's age, sometimes they didn't know when to _not_ talk about something like that. But at least the old fire truck never lost his touch when it came to his job. Sky assumed that much; emergencies don't happen much around Propwash Junction.

"Hey guys!" Sparky piped up. "Listen to this! 'After their Red Bulldozer win, Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Riley return to Propwash Junction where they will be performing at the town's annual Corn Festival.'"

"They mentioned the Corn Festival?" Mayday asked, surprised.

"That's great!" Dusty asked happily.

"That ought to bump up attendance!" Sky noted.

"It's gonna be the biggest Corn Fest yet!" Dusty agreed.

"Dusty! Skylar!" Skipper greeted, his propeller spinning. "Ready to do some flying?"

"Absolutely, Skipper." Dusty nodded, dipping a wing and allowing Sky to hop up on him.

"Don't stay out too late!" Mayday called.

"Later, Dust! See ya, Sky!" Sparky waved.

"Remember to open your eyes!" Chug chuckled.

Dusty and Sky rolled their eyes, but laughed as they made their way to the runway. "Hey, Propwash Tower! This is Crophopper Seven. Flight of two plus one, ready for takeoff."

" _Crophopper Seven, Propwash Tower."_ The attendant in the tower said. _"Wind's calm. Runway two-seven clear for takeoff. Have a great flight, fellas."_

Sky lowered her goggles over her eyes and gripped the handlebar on Dusty's canopy. She focused on her psych-man abilities. "Crophopper Seven, this is Jolly Wrench Riley. Connection's up and ready to go!"

Dusty laughed. "I read you, Jolly Wrench Riley. Let's go! Crophopper Seven flight, on the roll." He and Skipper took off down the runway, the two planes pulling up into the air. They looped around, flying over Propwash Junction and skimming the corn fields as they headed out to practice.

Sky relaxed from her jockey-like position and leaned back, spreading her arms and letting the wind blow against her. She sighed in content. _This_ is why she loved racing with Dusty. It didn't matter if she couldn't fly on her own; riding Dusty made the feeling all the better.

" _Skylar Amelia Riley."_ Skipper said into the radio.

Sky laughed. "I know, Dad! I'm an active rider, not a passive one." She gripped the handlebar again and pushed her feet into the stirrups at Dusty's sides, hoisting her body up a little more to her usual flying position. Skipper knew when to draw the line between coach and father, but once he slipped into Coach Mode he seemed to go right back into his Navy Commander attitude.

Skipper called into their radio with tips as they approached the grain silos, threading through them as they practiced their radial-G turns. Skipper kept close behind Dusty and Sky as they shot over the landscape, knife-edging trees and making smooth rolls and turns.

" _Now let's work that vertical!"_ Skipper ordered.

"Roger that!" Sky said into the radio. "Come on, Dusty!" The two of them shot under a bridge over the river, pulling up and shooting up into the clouds. Thank goodness Dusty's fear of heights was long since conquered, otherwise they'd have a repeat of what happened their first training session with Skipper.

As they cleared the first level of clouds, Dusty's engine began sputtering. An alarm beeped at them and a small warning light flashed on the plane's panel, indicating something was going wrong. Sky gasped in pain as she felt like someone pinched her. "Dusty?" She called worriedly. "Hey, our connection's failing! What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Dusty said, sounding confused. Then, Dusty's propeller stopped spinning altogether, and he did a flip as he spiraled down towards the ground.

"Dusty!" Sky called, desperately trying to reactivate their connection. "Dusty, the connection's not working! Pull up!"

"I…I can't!" Dusty gasped, desperately trying to get his gearbox to respond.

Skipper dived down after them. "Dusty? Skylar! Are you okay?"

Dusty's propeller started spinning again, allowing the racers to stay in the air. The two of the panted, still shocked over what happened. "My…..my engine!" Dusty gasped.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Skipper said calmly. "Steady there."

"Dusty, head back to the airport." Sky said. "The connection's back up, but I don't trust that won't happen again."

"R-right." Dusty agreed, still a bit overwhelmed. Even Sky panted a bit, trying to get her heart rate back down. It felt like her heart literally skipped a beat as their connection failed without warning. _What the heck just happened up there?_

* * *

Sparky checked out Sky while Dottie did some preliminary work on Dusty. As far as the forklift medic could tell, Sky had a clean bill of health. But not he nor anybody else could explain why Sky and Dusty's connection seemed to stall like Dusty's engine did. Dottie berated Dusty, yet again, for pushing himself so hard.

"Come on, Dot." Dusty scoffed. "You saw me and Sky at the Red Bulldozer race. And hey, Speed City Airfest is just a few weeks away! Sky, I think if we get a little more speed coming out of our turns, really work that radial-G, we can definitely improve our time. What do you think, Sky?"

Sky laughed from her spot on Skipper's wing. "Hey, take it easy, Dusty. We only got back from our last race less than two days ago. Take a break. It feels like we've been doing nothing but racing this entire year."

"Maybe, but it's fun!" Dusty said excitedly.

Sky laughed again. "I guess I can't deny that." Still, she wished she could tell Dusty that she wanted to take more than a few weeks off from racing. There was usually a set racing season, but Dusty and Sky found themselves often going abroad during the off season, save for holidays. If they did both Speed City Airfest _and_ the Corn Fest, it'd be a back-to-back set of races….again. Sky loved to race, just like Dusty. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair and the exhilaration of the speed. But she also relished the moments when they were back home and she could relax with her guitar and her family.

"Well, no damage to the casing or compressor blades." Dottie reported, coming around to be face to face with Dusty.

"See? I told you." Dusty said confidently. "Just a hiccup. Which explains why the connection went wonky."

"Makes sense." Sky shrugged.

Dottie's face didn't seem convincing. "But there is—"

"Dusty! Sky!" Chug honked his horn as he came tearing into the garage. "What happened? Are you guys okay? Was it your fuel? I promise I tested it before I fueled you up! I always take a little sip."

"Yeah, we need to evaluate whether or not that's good for your health." Sky noted, sounding both sassy and concerned.

"It's okay." Dusty repeated. "Sky and I got quite a little scared there—"

"Him more than me." Sky teased.

Dusty smirked. "But it's all good."

"Dusty!" Dottie suddenly spoke up. "Your reduction gearbox is failing."

Dusty paused. "My gearbox?"

"Your chip detector had a cluster of steel shavings on it." Dottie explained. "Flakes from the gears. That's what caused the trouble. The resulting 'hiccup' is what caused your connection with Sky to break."

"I knew it couldn't have been my fault. I'm perfect." Sky said teasingly.

"As if." Dusty laughed.

Sky laughed too. "But in all seriousness, you better get that fixed."

"Don't worry. A gearbox can be replaced." Dusty assured. "We'll order a new one." He looked to Dottie. "Right?" Dottie's face fell, and her eyes looked everywhere except towards Dusty. The former crop duster didn't smile anymore, staring worriedly. "What?"

Everyone stared at Dottie, concern etched into their features. Dottie finally sighed. "Your gearbox…..it's…it's out of production. Long since discontinued. Can't even remember the last time I saw one."

"Why would they discontinue it?" Sky asked curiously.

"It's a complex piece of machinery." Dottie explained. "Must've cost too much to manufacture it."

"But Dottie…..come on." Chug pleaded. "Can't you just build Dust a new one?"

"No." Dottie said. "It's too complex. It has to be factory."

Dusty could see this wasn't going in a good direction. "So what does that mean?"

"You have to back off the torque." Dottie told the orange and white plane. "Don't go over eighty percent."

Dusty jolted. "What?! Eighty percent? Dottie, you've got me cranked up to 140. Sky and I need that to race!"

"We hold back, we won't stand a chance!" Sky chimed in.

"If you push yourself into the red, your gearbox will fail." Dottie said.

"No, no, Dottie!" Dusty shook his nose, not wanting to hear or believe what the forklift told him.

"And then your engine will seize."

"Maybe the test that you did was wrong!"

"Dusty, listen!"

"But I've got a race coming up!"

"YOU'LL CRASH!"

Dusty went silent, staring at Dottie in shock like most everyone else did.

"You push yourself into the red, you'll crash." Dottie repeated.

"No he won't." Sky hopped down, walking to stand beside Dusty. "I can help. Our connection lets us share power, maybe I can help ease the stress, take some of the pain—"

"No!" Dottie said, firmly yet worriedly. "Sky, you can't use your powers with his engine anymore; it will only make things worse."

"You don't know that." Sky said, glaring.

"But I _do_ know that if Dusty's gearbox fails and his engine seizes while you two are connected…." Dottie swallowed. "The resulting injuries will carry through your connection and you could get seriously hurt, maybe even killed."

Sky wanted to protest, but the serious look in Dottie's eyes made her own widen in realization. "But…..I mean….."

"I'm gonna install a warning light on your panel." Dottie told Dusty. "If it comes on, you'll need to pull power."

Dusty stared at the forklift, crushed beyond belief. "But….Dottie, you're…..you're saying…I…..I can't…" He looked to Sky. "….that _we_ can't…race anymore."

Sky stared at her racing partner, feeling a similar sensation of crushing defeat. "Dottie?"

Dottie stared at them sadly. "I'm so sorry."

Everyone went silent. Sky sat down on Dusty's wing, feeling weak, and gently placed a hand on the plane's flank. Dusty slumped on his landing gear, fighting the urge to cry.

 _It's over._


	48. PFAR: Fill N' Fly Fire

Chapter Two: Fill N' Fly Fire

Dusty spent the rest of the day moping in his hanger. Sky went out to the cliff near her home to play her guitar, trying to get her mind off things. Karma seemed to hate her today; when she said she wanted a longer vacation, this is _not_ what she meant. Later that night, Skipper insisted Dusty and Sky join him at Honkers to cope with the bad news. It seemed to help a little bit as the planes sipped cans of oil, but Sky couldn't stop frowning as she lounged on Skipper's wing.

Dusty sighed. "I guess you were right, Sky. Maybe we should've eased off the number of races we went to."

"Nah." Sky sighed. "Something tells me this was inevitable. It just happened sooner rather than later." It was hard to think about. Dusty wanted to be a racer to show he was more than just a crop duster. But even though his engine had the strength of a racer, his gearbox was still meant for a crop duster. It couldn't handle all the stress Dusty and Sky put on it during their races. That thought alone was enough to make Dusty and Sky even more depressed. Sky considered trying to use her psych-man abilities to "heal" the gearbox, but there wasn't exactly a human part equivalent to the piece of machinery.

The three of them looked up as Chug and Sparky called for them, hurrying into the bar and almost plowing down a waitress on the way. "We just got off the radio with Ethan up in Grand Flaps." Chug said excitedly.

"He's got the gearbox?" Dusty asked hopefully.

Chug and Sparky chuckled. "No."

"But his buddy owns twenty-one service hangers!" Chug said. "And he's gonna check his inventory, and he's gonna put the word out for you, Duster!"

"It's a great start!" Sparky said.

"There's hope for us yet, Dust Storm." Sky agreed.

"Because if that gearbox is out there, we're gonna find it for you, buddy!" Chug said determinedly.

"You guys rock." Sky said gratefully. "You hear that, Dusty? We'll be out on the race course again in no time!"

"And hey!" The five of them glanced over to see Leadbottom making his way towards them. "If you don't, it's all right! Because the answer is yes!"

"'Yes'?" Dusty repeated.

"What?" Chug blinked.

"Come again?" Sky asked.

"Yes?" Skipper raised an eye frame.

"Huh?" Sparky asked.

"Of course you can have your old job back!" Leadbottom said cheerily.

Sky sighed. Propwash Junction was on the map thanks to her and Dusty, but it was still a teeny tiny town. Word spread so fast no doubt news of Dusty's gearbox managed to reach at least half of the residents by now. _I like the people of Propwash, but it's people like Leadbottom who seem to always tick me off._

"Leadbottom, that's mighty kind of you. But I don't think it's necessary." Skipper said, trying to sound civil despite how much the biplane annoyed him.

"Of course, you've got to start back at minimum wage, and you lost all your vacation time, gotta go through orientation again." Leadbottom noted.

"It's just that now is not the best time." Skipper said, casting a look to Sky that told her to keep out of the conversation. Sky reluctantly obeyed, despite wanting only to put her foot into Leadbottom's nose.

"Come on, Skipper!" Leadbottom urged, causing the Corsair and his daughter to roll their eyes. "We'll get him his old sprayer back and he'll be back to work in no time."

"No, thank you." Sky said through somewhat gritted teeth.

"What're you worried about?" Leadbottom asked curiously. "You can be free, go do whatever it is you used to do before you raced and whatnot."

 _Okay, now I_ really _want to put my foot in his propeller._ Sky thought.

"Dusty don't crop dust no more!" Chug countered, he and Sparky coming up to defend their friend.

"That's right!" Sparky said. "No more!"

"He's a racer! And he's gonna be back to racing in no time." Chug affirmed. "Right, Dusty?"

"Right, Dust?" Sparky echoed.

Silence.

Everyone turned to the table, only to see a lack of Dusty Crophopper. Sky cast a look towards Chug, Sparky, and especially Leadbottom. "Nice going, you dolts."

"What'd we do?" Sparky shrugged.

"You _all_ got him freaked out." Sky said. "Mostly Leadbottom. But seriously, do you guys think Dusty wants to consider going back to his old job? He's come too far to turn back now. No offense, Leadbottom. I'm sure crop dusting is a wonderful profession…for those who _choose_ to do it."

"Look, kid, I admire your support for Dusty." Leadbottom said. "But we all knew this was coming."

"And what makes you say that?" Skipper demanded, glaring at Leadbottom.

"The guy wasn't built to race!" Leadbottom said.

"He proved everyone wrong when he won the Wings Around the Globe Rally." Skipper firmly.

"And his gearbox being busted only further proves he wasn't supposed to race." Leadbottom said.

"Why should some people be forced into a job while others get a choice?" Sky demanded.

"Some vehicles are built for certain jobs." Leadbottom explained. "It's just how things work. It happens to humans too; some are born and built for certain reasons."

"Based on that logic, I should've expected my parents to love me. But that didn't work out, now did it?" Sky snapped.

Leadbottom opened his mouth to protest, but he immediately shut his trap. Chug and Spark looked down, but Skipper had a proud smirk tugging at his lips. Everyone knew that once Sky brought up her birth parents like that, the conversation was over. The young woman long since stopped believing her powers were a bad thing, but she couldn't get rid of her feelings towards her birth parents. The pain she felt when they tossed her aside like a piece of trash hurt more than anything else in the world, even more than when she and Dusty crashed during the WAG.

Nodding in satisfaction, Sky jumped down from Skipper's wing. "I'm going to the Fill N' Fly to look through Dottie's books. There's got to be a way to fix Dusty's gearbox or build a new one."

"If Dottie couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?" Leadbottom asked, more curious than anything else.

"Because I don't believe in a no-win situation!" Sky called over her shoulder as she marched off. Propwash Junction was quiet, with only the sound of the crickets echoing through the air. Sky stuffed her hands in her pockets, casually walking to the Fill N' Fly and meandering into the garage next to the runway. Humming to herself, she began perusing the shelves of books and manuals. Finding one about engines and gearboxes, she began reading. But as she skimmed through the books, she discovered gearboxes were much more complex than she expected. She didn't want to give up just yet; Dusty helped her achieve her dream by giving her the chance to fly, so she couldn't just let his dream fall short because of a fixable part.

And yet, as she studied a picture of a gearbox like Dusty's, Sky found her mind wandering. Did she even _want_ to go back to racing? It's not like she felt singled out or anything; there were plenty of racers out there who had psyche human riders. But there were some people who questioned having psych-man riders on the racers. There was once a time when it was considered a whole different league, since people believed having a psych-man rider was like cheating in a normal race. Eventually, the rules fell apart for being rather illogical, and racers both with and without psych-man riders competed in the same leagues. Still, there were some people—not a lot, but still some—who questioned the purpose of a human rider on a racecar or plane.

'Humans should be riding animals, like jockeys do for horses.' Some would say. 'What's the point of a psyche human rider on a car or plane except to be a backup engine?'

Now, most of these claims immediately became stamped out by the general public who saw psych-man racers working with their vehicles as a team. It was comradery thing. Yet Sky couldn't stop thinking about what people sometimes said about her powers being nothing more than 'a backup engine' or 'like a fuel additive.' She knew she had the potential to do so much more with her abilities. Sky thought back to her talk with Dr. Ben on the Flysenhower. The psych-man doctor said so himself that Sky's powers were stronger than any he had ever felt. Psyche humans require a good amount of focus when activating their connections to vehicles; Sky could do it almost instantly. She could heal injuries in mere minutes; she could find memories in seconds; she could easily control her energy output when she raced with Dusty. All these things she could do, yet some said she was 'just a backup engine.'

Sky rubbed her arm, near her shoulder, where a familiar birthmark rested like a tattoo under her shirt sleeve. She pulled the sleeve down farther over her arm, to ensure the birthmark was covered. _I know I have these powers for a reason. There's got to be more to me than this._

The sound of a roaring engine caught Sky's attention, and she looked out the window to see a familiar orange and white plane coming in for a landing. "Dusty?" She set the book she held down and moved to the doorway of the Fill N' Fly, realizing with a start that Dusty's glide was unsteady and jerking. "Dusty!" Sky called, wincing a bit when Dusty hit a couple of the lights on the runway. His landing gear hit the tarmac and he bounced a bit before swerving off and towards the Fill N' Fly. Dusty hurriedly applied his brakes. When that didn't work, he tried turning at an angle to use the friction to stop him. Sky stared in shock and then flinched in surprise and sympathy when Dusty rammed into the support column for the Fill N' Fly. The orange and white plane panted a bit, looking a bit overwhelmed.

"Dusty?" Sky called, beginning to move forward. "You okay?"

She and Dusty paused when tiny pieces of the propeller-shaped beam bounced off Dusty's nose. They looked up and stared in shock as the column creaked before falling away. Without the support, the prop-shaped roof began collapsing. Sky hurriedly jumped back, only to slip on the dusty cement floor and fall to the ground. She shouted in pain as a large portion of the roof landed on her ankle.

 _KA-BOOM!_

Dusty and Sky gasped as an explosion erupted, flames bursting to life. "Fire! Fire!" Dusty shouted.

Sky tried to move, but grunted as pain flared up in her leg. "Dusty!" She coughed a bit from the smoke, the heat of the flames caressing her face. "Dusty, help! I'm trapped!"

Dusty wracked his brain, trying to think of a way to help but coming up with nothing. The shock and fear from the fire prevented him from rushing to Sky's side. He sighed in relief at the sound of a wailing siren and Mayday suddenly screeched to a halt in front of the fire. Somewhat dilapidated fire engine he may be, Mayday still impressed everyone with how quickly he snapped into action.

"Now listen up!" Mayday barked. "We gotta cool this down before it spreads!" Dottie and Sparky immediately got to work helping, hooking up Mayday's hose to the fire hydrant nearby. Mayday began spraying the water onto the flames.

"Mayday!" Sky called. "Mayday, help!"

Skipper narrowed his eyes. "Skylar?" His eyes widened at the sight of his daughter. "Skylar! Get out of there!"

"I can't!" Sky shouted. "The roof fell on my leg. I'm stuck!"

"Skipper, stay back!" Mayday ordered. Dusty and Chug quickly stood in Skipper's path to keep the Corsair from rushing to his daughter. Mayday redirected the water closer to Sky's area, keeping the flames back and away from the girl. But then, his hose began leaking terribly. Then again, the duct tape that patched up the holes in the old hose was old itself, and when Sparky tried to press his wheels and forks onto the holes he ended up getting tossed aside by the water pressure. The water stopped streaming from Mayday's hose.

Sky coughed from the smoke, staring in fear at the flames growing closer to her. "Somebody help! Please!" She coughed again, harsher this time.

"Skylar!" Skipper moved forward again.

"Don't!" Mayday barked, moving in Skipper's path and stopping the Corsair. "You go in there and I'll have two people to worry about! Skylar! Put your bandana over your mouth and nose!" Sky nodded, quickly obeying him.

"That's not going to save her, Mayday!" Skipper growled.

"I know!" Mayday said.

"Then what do we do?" Skipper demanded.

Mayday didn't answer for a second; if he tried to go in and help Sky now, the flames could overtake them both. He had to get the fire down to a controllable level. Then his eyes caught sight of the water tower next to them. "I need some help!"

Sparky and Dottie quickly got to work pulling up the large screws that kept the water tower anchored to the ground. Then they helped loop the hose and a couple strong cables around the supports of the tower, hooking the other ends of the lines to Mayday, Chug, Skipper, and Dusty. At Mayday's command, the four of them revved their engines, pulling with all their strength. The flames were getting closer to Sky; she could feel the heat in her trapped leg growing much like the fear she felt. Finally, there was a creaking sound as the water tower's supports broke and the entire thing began to topple over.

"Hold your breath, Sky! You're about to get wet!" Mayday called.

Sky looked up to see a wall of water coming right at her. _Oh boy._ She shut her eyes, holding her breath and plugging her nose as the water crashed into her and the Fill N' Fly. The water snuffed out the flames in seconds, but also made quite a mess of the garage. The water washed away and left only a few large patches of smoldering embers and a sopping wet Skylar Riley, who sputtered a bit but otherwise looked fine.

Mayday sped over towards the raven-haired girl, gently yet quickly pushing the destroyed section of roof up to allow Sky to pull her ankle out. "You all right, Sky?"

"I'm fine." Sky nodded, standing. "Thanks, Mayday."

"Skylar!" Skipper called, rolling a little closer.

"I'm fine, Dad!" Sky called, beginning to walk towards him. But excruciating pain suddenly sprang up her leg and throughout her entire body, and she gave a pained shout as her left leg crumpled underneath her. Mayday was quick to catch her, letting the girl lean on his hood. Sky grimaced in pain, her fingers clawing at the metal on Mayday's hood. "Ah Chrysler, not again."

"Easy there, Sky." Mayday gingerly scooped her up with his tire and helped her sit on his hood, carrying the girl a safe distance from the still-dying fire.

"What's wrong?" Sparky asked worriedly, everyone gathering around Sky and Mayday.

Sky grimaced again. "I….I can't move my ankle….." She glanced down to her wound and winced a bit. So did everyone else when they saw a large hole burnt into her jeans and raw, red skin on her leg.

"Don't worry, Skylar." Mayday assured. "I'm sure it's only minor. Let's get you home and patch you up."

"Sparky, go on ahead and find the first aid kit." Skipper ordered. "See if we still have a pair of crutches lying around."

"Sure thing, Skip!" Sparky hurried off to the hanger.

"Dottie, Chug, and Dusty, I need you to watch the fire to make sure it doesn't start up again." Mayday ordered. "Pour some water on it if you feel it necessary, but do it _carefully._ "

"Yes, Mayday." Dottie, Chug, and Dusty said at once.

"You just stay right up there, Skylar." Mayday encouraged as he and Skipper made their way after Sparky. "I'll carry you home."

"You sure?" Sky asked worriedly, still sitting up on Mayday's hood. "Aren't I in your way?"

"Not at all." Mayday assured. "It's my job to make sure you're okay. You _were_ just caught in a fire, after all."

Sky nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Mayday."

Dusty, Dottie, and Chug watched them go, relieved Sky wasn't hurt worse. But Dusty felt guilt weighing heavily on his engine. If he hadn't clipped that tower and made such a hard landing, he wouldn't have caused that fire and gotten Sky hurt. It was the WAG crash in the Pacific all over again, only this time it couldn't be denied: it really was Dusty's fault.

 _Sky…..I'm so sorry….._

* * *

 **A/N: I know some of you might be expecting Sky's biological parents to show up, but I have something different in mind.**


	49. PFAR: How to Save Propwash Junction

Chapter Three: How to Save Propwash Junction

As if things couldn't get worse, a huge yellow and white Oshkosh Striker 3000 vehicle came into Propwash the next day, accompanied by a forklift assistant who put caution tape across the burnt remains of the Fill N' Fly and then proceeded to surround Mayday with several orange cones. The poor old fire engine seemed so small compared to the large tanker staring him down with a hard glare. A badge on his fender read "Ryker." Sky, Skipper, Sparky, Dusty, Chug, and Dottie stood off to one side, watching worriedly. Sky's ankle and foot were bandaged, luckily with only a sprained ankle and mild second degree burns. But the pain of walking still required her to lean on a pair of crutches. Sky couldn't help feeling sorry for Mayday, and she wished Max could be there with him for moral support. Max, Mayday's human firefighting partner, had sadly passed away fighting a forest fire near town about four years ago. Mayday still didn't like to talk about it. Neither did Sky, as the young woman took quite a liking to both of the firefighters while she lived in Propwash Junction. She still had Max's old firefighting helmet he gifted to her, and in the months following Max's death she often stared at the helmet and wished the old human firefighter was still around.

"Mr. Mayday." Ryker said in a very official, very serious tone. "Were you at the specified point of attack and applying an extinguishing agent within three minutes of the time of alarm?"

Mayday tried to not stumble over his words too much. "Well, I didn't have time to look at a clock." He noticed the forklift scribbling on a clipboard.

"Can you provide me with your self-inspection records and emergency procedure plans?" Ryker asked/demanded.

"Well, emergencies don't happen very often." Mayday said with a small chuckle. "At least we got the fire out."

"Is that your contingency plan, Mr. Mayday?" Ryker demanded. "Every time there's an incident you topple a water tower?"

"Of course it's not the contingency plan." Sky growled, limping forward and glaring at Ryker. "It's just what needed to be done at the time."

"Sky, don't." Sparky hissed warningly, staring worriedly at the large TMST agent. Unfortunately, he knew Sky was plenty bold enough to give a piece of her mind to _anyone_ , no matter what their rank in any field.

Sky ignored Sparky, her eyes locked onto Ryker's dark blue ones. Ryker matched her glare. "And what determined that such action was required?"

"I don't know. I didn't see." Sky said in a snarky tone. That wasn't a lie; the smoke was so thick she couldn't really see a thing. "But I trust Mayday's judgement. He thought quickly and I'm confident he wouldn't have toppled the tower unless he felt he had no other option." She spied Mayday perking up a bit, happy to have some support. But Mayday knew if Sky didn't watch what she said, they were all in even more trouble.

Ryker still glared at her, and his eyes suddenly moved to stare at her ankle. "And just where did you get those injuries?"

"None of your car wax you overgrown fire hydrant on wheels!" Sky snapped.

"Skylar Amelia Riley!" Skipper barked, making Sky flinch. "Get. Over. Here. _Now_."

Sky looked to Ryker and grunted in disgust as she made her way back to Skipper. Ryker stared after her, mentally smirking at the sight of her father lightly whapping her on the shoulder. Then the TMST agent looked to Mayday. "I received reports of a victim injured during the incident."

"Yes. That was her." Mayday confirmed.

"Mayday!" Sky complained, only for Skipper to shush her sharply.

"And was the safety of said victim taken into account when you decided to pull down the water tower?" Ryker asked, sneering a bit.

Mayday allowed a small glare to appear in his eyes. "I did what I had to do _because_ I feared for her safety."

"This is my fault." Dusty suddenly piped up, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Dusty, it was an accident." Mayday assured.

Ryker cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to him. "It's clear this airport has no plans for an emergency and equipment from last century." Skipper gave Sky another whap with his wing to keep her silent, despite his own irritation at Ryker's comment. "I am pulling this airports Certificate of Operation for noncompliance of rescue and firefighting regulations until Mr. Mayday is refurbished and acquires a second firefighter."

Mayday slumped down again. "Oh, Chevy."

* * *

By the end of the day, everyone in Propwash Junction heard the news about the airport being closed. Not everyone heard the details, but they knew the gist.

One, there was a fire that apparently required the toppling of the water tower.

Two, TMST shut down the airport.

Three, the only way to reopen it was to fix up Mayday and find another firefighter to work with him.

Skipper had called everyone to the airport to discuss the problem, but first he had to deal with the uproar of concerned citizens before him. "Keep calm, everyone.."

"Calm?" Brodi repeated. "I already got the motel booked! This Corn Festival is what butters my corn." Several other residents murmured in agreement. Even after Dusty's and Sky's rise to fame, what kept Propwash Junction going was the airport and the Corn Festival.

"Brodi, we've already figured this out." Skipper assured. "Dottie?"

Everyone looked to Dottie and Sparky, standing a few feet from Skipper. Sparky pointed to a drawing of Mayday up on a stand between them. "This is Mayday now." Dottie began. "We'll add a new 400-watt siren, a 2,000 GPM roof turret, and a high-capacity water tank with integrated class A foam cell—" Sparky took the drawing away to reveal a second one of Mayday looking refurbished. "—and we'll have an all-new Mayday."

Sparky nodded proudly. "See? No problem!"

"And to get Propwash reopened, we just need to find a…..second firefighter…." Dottie trailed off a bit at the end.

"What? You expect us to find a firefighter during _fire_ season?" Leadbottom snapped. Immediately, another uproar began as the Propwash denizens began chatting worriedly amongst themselves.

Sky stood beside Skipper during the entire talk, leaning on her crutches. She noticed Mayday quietly drive off, looking quite dejected. Dusty followed the old fire truck soon after. _Good. Dusty always knows what to say to make people feel better._ Sky heard the people of Propwash still shouting worriedly, demanding answers they weren't going to get anytime soon. That was the only flaw in their plan to get Propwash Junction reopened: how to find another firefighter. Sky felt a little guilty. If only she hadn't gotten hurt; maybe then Mayday and the town wouldn't be in so much trouble. That, and maybe she shouldn't have ticked off the government agent. Sky didn't believe a simple ranking deserved eternal respect if the one who had said ranking was acting like a jackwagon. So she wasn't afraid to speak her mind in front of the agent. Still, maybe she could've at least held back the sass just this once.

The raven-haired girl looked out to the panicking citizens before her, and she glared. "All right, that's it." She muttered, tossing her crutches to the ground. She limped forward a bit, standing in a spot where everyone could see her. Skipper, Sparky, Dottie, and Chug stared at her with confusion. Then they braced themselves when Sky brought two fingers to her lips. Her shrill, loud whistle caught everyone's attention.

"Hey!" Sky shouted. "Shut up!" Immediately, everyone fell silent. They all knew that when Skylar Amelia Riley called for attention, you give it to her. Sky nodded in satisfaction at the silence. "Look, you are all blowing this situation out of proportion!"

"Honey, the airport is what made Propwash Junction a town." One of the humans in the crowd said. "In the end, even with the Corn Fest and you and Dusty racing, it's the airport and runway that keeps this town thriving. Without it, we're sunk!"

"We won't be able to last until the end of fire season to wait for another firefighter." A plane added. "And who knows how long it will take to actually find one?"

"All right, point taken." Sky admitted. "But listen: it's a big problem with a simple solution. Dottie, you can fix up Mayday, can't you?"

"Of course." Dottie nodded.

"Great." Sky nodded. "First problem solved."

"And what about the second problem?" Leadbottom demanded. "It's not like a firefighter is just gonna pop out of the blue!"

"You let _me_ take care of that." Sky said, standing straight and tall. "I'm going to become Propwash Junction's second firefighter."

"What?" Skipper asked in surprise. Several of the other residents also expressed their surprise and some skepticism.

"The deal is we need to find a second firefighter." Sky reasoned. "It was never said it had to specifically be a human or vehicle. So I'll ask Mayday to help me get certified. And I'll do it as volunteer work; I don't need to get paid to keep my home safe."

"You're gonna be a firefighter?" Leadbottom scoffed. "On that ankle?"

"It's a minor wound that will heal." Sky snapped. "And it won't prevent me from getting certified in time for the Corn Fest, which _will_ go on as planned!" Several of the residents murmured to each other, still unsure. Sky frowned. "All right. Anybody else want to step up to the plate and be a hero? Who here is brave enough to take on one of the most dangerous jobs known to human or vehicle?" She glared at everyone around her, but the Propwash residents went silent again. "No one? Then shut up! I _will_ become a firefighter and I'll work with Mayday as a second job. Propwash Junction _will_ reopen in time for the Corn Fest and everything will work out. I promise."

"That's an awfully big promise to keep." Brodi noted. "You sure you can keep it?"

Sky looked determined. "You bet."

It was quiet for a moment before a somewhat hesitant applause rang out from the Propwash residents. Soon, everyone began to disperse and head home. Skipper approached his daughter. "Now, are you sure about this?"

"Positive." Sky nodded. "Mayday needs a new firefighting partner. Not just to keep Propwash open but for the sake of his emotional health. I know I can't replace Max, but I can be there for Mayday like he's always been there for me."

"It'll be dangerous." Sparky noted.

"I know." Sky nodded. "I was in that fire, remember? And Mayday did everything he could to help me. I owe him one."

Skipper sighed. "Well, all right." He pushed Sky's crutches back to her, the girl picking them up. "I don't know if I completely agree with this, but it may be our only shot at getting Propwash reopened. Let's go talk to Mayday and see what you need to do to get certified."

"I'll start drawing up the plans for Mayday." Dottie said, driving off. Sky leaned on her crutches and made her way to the fire house, Skipper right beside her.

"Hey Dusty!" Sky called as she and Skipper approached. The orange and white plane backed up and smiled at them. Mayday rolled out of the fire house to greet the pair, looking much happier now. "Hey Mayday. I'm going to be Propwash's second firefighter. What do I have to do to get certified?"

"You?" Dusty blinked in surprise.

"If everyone starts applying for the job, I won't be needed anymore." Mayday chuckled.

"Everyone?" Skipper repeated.

"I just told Mayday _I_ would be the second firefighter." Dusty explained. "Sky, you don't have to worry about it. It's my fault the fire started and I'm the one who got you hurt."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who ticked off the TMST agent." Sky shrugged. "So we're both in the same boat." She looked to Mayday. "I suppose if _two_ firefighters joined you, they'd definitely have to reopen Propwash Junction."

"Only if you two are really up for it." Mayday said. "I'd be happy to have ya."

Dusty and Sky shared a look, a silent agreement passing between them. They always worked together as a team when racing, why not when firefighting? "Mayday, just tell us what to do, and we'll do it." Dusty said.

* * *

 **A/N: And so their journey begins! What do you think? Was Sky foolish or bold in her decision to speak up against Ryker?**


	50. PFAR: A Spark at Piston Peak

Chapter Four: A Spark at Piston Peak

Because the airport was shut down, Dusty would need a different place to take off without having to go to another town. So he and Sky went out with Sparky, Chug, Skipper, Dottie, and Mayday to a section of highway outside of town. Sky left her crutches at home, her wounded ankle wrapped in bandages and supported with a flexible brace so she could still heal and the injury wouldn't interfere with her training. She had more bandages and a first-aid kit tucked in her backpack along with some extra clothes, toiletries, and some tools in case Dusty needed a tune-up. She left her Navy jacket behind and instead wore a light, black jacket over her usual T-shirt.

"You be safe, all right?" Skipper said to Sky, nuzzling the girl.

"You got it." Sky nodded, hugging her father and giving him a quick kiss. "Love you, Dad." She hopped up to her spot on Dusty, ready to go.

"When you get to Piston Peak Air Attack, you're gonna ask for Blade Ranger." Mayday instructed. "He's their chief and an old friend of mine. He can train and certify you two."

"Aye-aye, Chief." Sky nodded.

"Consider it done, Mayday." Dusty agreed, starting up his propeller.

"And Dusty, be careful." Skipper said.

"I will." Dusty nodded.

"We'll see you guys by the time of the Corn Fest." Sky assured as Dusty began taking off. She pulled her goggles down over her eyes, making sure her camouflage bandana stayed secure on her head.

"Good luck, Dusty! Good luck, Sky!" Mayday called.

"Take it easy out there!" Dottie chimed in.

"You can do it!" Skipper encouraged.

"We're proud of you guys!" Chug called.

Sparky cheered for them. "Good luck!"

Sky turned and waved until her family disappeared, Dusty flying off west towards California. Sky stayed relaxed; her usual position for when they were racing wouldn't help with just a casual flight across the country. Dusty and Sky talked now and then during their flight, but for the most part they were silent. Steadily, they began to leave the grasslands and fields behind and arrived at rocky, forested areas. Sky wouldn't admit it, but she felt a little nervous. What would she be required to do while training to be a firefighter? She knew there was more to it than just throwing water onto flames. But what more did she have to know? And, more importantly, was she actually as brave as she thought she was? Sky pushed the thoughts aside for now, enjoying the leisure flight to Piston Peak. She and Dusty did so much racing she almost forgot what a smooth flight felt like.

It took several hours to get to California, and Sky ended up taking a nap on the way there. When she finally saw the mountains and dense forests, she smiled broadly and sighed in relief, knowing the trip was almost over. Dusty and Sky passed a train as they flew into the park, writing on the train's side reading "Muir" and "Piston Peak Railway." Sky waved and Dusty tipped a wing in greeting, the train smiling and blowing his whistle to greet back. The two flew further into the park, staring in awe at the beautiful scenery. Tourists and campers streamed into the park, taking pictures and talking excitedly. They passed the entrance, where Sky noticed a sign that read "Welcome to Piston Peak National Park." As Dusty looped around, a geyser went off and shot water into the air. Sky spread her arms, giggling a bit as the cool mist settled onto her skin. She wiped the water from her goggles, looking down at the magnificent lodge just below them.

"So where do you think the firefighters are?" Sky asked.

"No idea." Dusty admitted. "I guess we'll know them when we see them. Mayday said their base is on a mountain somewhere."

Sky looked around. "Well that's specific." She muttered sarcastically. The two of them ended up flying over fields, a canyon with a waterfall, and a huge lake before Sky spotted something in the cliff side ahead of them. "Hey, I bet that's it!"

Dusty followed her gaze and discovered a runway and several buildings resting on a cliff. Lowering his landing gear, he made a smooth landing onto the runway and began taxiing towards the buildings. Sky unhooked herself from the handlebar and dismounted Dusty, sitting down on his wing. But as the two looked around, they realized everything they expected about the Air Attack team hadn't been completely spot on. There were several hangers, a garage, a tower for traffic control, and even a helipad or two. But it certainly didn't look like a firefighting base. Mellow music played from the speakers on the tower, and the forklift inside was polishing the windows. A green Sikorsky/Erickson CH64 Skycrane sat on a platform next to what must've been his hanger, lifting a dozen logs as though they were barbells. A Native American dream catcher hung from the platform. Outside the hanger next to him, a bright yellow and red SuperScooper hummed to herself as she sunbathed.

"Argh! Stick shift!"

Dusty and Sky glanced over to the garage, where a dark blue and gray forklift waved a wheel and groaned in pain, having apparently kicked some canisters. A Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar with the words "U.S. Air Force" printed on his side sat at his hanger, listening to a radio.

"You sure this is the right place?" Dusty whispered.

"I thought it was." Sky shrugged.

" _Ripping!"_

"Duck!" Sky yelped and Dusty quickly obeyed as a vehicle flew over their heads. The vehicle landed on his treads and spun around, revealing to be a yellow and black skid street digger.

"Drip!" a female voice shouted right before a small ATV, also colored yellow and black, jumped out from behind the dirt ramp the street digger came off. A vehicle with a saw blade came up on the other side of Drip, and a bulldozer and a digger vehicle with a rake tool rolled up to sit on top of the jump.

 _These guys are firefighters?_ Sky wondered.

"What the heck is the matter with you?" the ATV snapped.

"Yeah, but Blackout said it was okay to go, dude." The street digger said.

"I did?" the saw bladed vehicle asked.

"He did?" the female car asked skeptically.

"Yeah, he was like, 'He's okay to go, dude.'" The digger said, using his claws to mimic a mouth talking.

"Uh, I'm sorry." Dusty piped up, catching everyone's attention. "We're looking for Piston Peak Air Attack."

"You are there!" the digger cheered.

"Copy that, _jefe!_ " The saw vehicle cheered, the two of them tapping their tools together.

"You two must be the SEAT and rookie. We heard you were comin'." The small ATV said, looping around Dusty and Sky.

"And we came." Sky said with a smirk.

The car smirked back. "I'm Dynamite. This is Blackout, Pinecone, Avalanche…."

"HELLO!" the bulldozer shouted.

"…and Evel Ke-numbskull over there is Drip." Dynamite finished as Drip spun around and flipped himself to stand on his head.

"Did you guys see that?" Drip asked, smiling broadly.

"Nice to meet you." Sky nodded in greeting. "I'm Skylar Riley."

"I'm Dusty Crophopper." Dusty introduced.

Dynamite, Blackout, and Drip hurried out of the way as the SuperScooper from before suddenly barreled forward, a huge smile on her face.

"The air racer?" She squealed, making Dusty flinch. "And oh my gosh, you're Skylar Riley!"

Sky giggled, a little nervous. "Yeah. That's me. Most people call me 'Sky.'"

"That's so amazing!" the SuperScooper cried happily. "You are the coolest psyche human in the world! I just love how you and Dusty work together. I have seen every single one of your races on RSN!" She gave Dusty a once-over. "You're smaller than I thought. But that's okay!"

"Um, thanks." Dusty said, a little freaked out by how freakishly huge the SuperScooper was compared to him. Sky bit her lip to keep her amused giggles at bay.

"So what are a couple of world-famous racing superstars doing here?" the SuperScooper asked.

"Uh, getting certified." Sky said, casting a look to see the Skycrane from before had joined the group to check them out. His copper-colored eyes stared directly at Sky, and she almost couldn't tear her gaze away. She had a feeling the helicopter was wiser than anyone else on the entire base.

"To help out some friends back home." Dusty explained, trying to not look intimidated by the SuperScooper.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" the SuperScooper cooed. "I'm Dipper. That's what everyone calls me, so you can too."

"Pleasure." Sky smiled warmly.

"Great to meet you." Dusty said before turning his attention to the rest of the team. "We're looking for Blade Ranger."

"He's out scouting for spot fires." Dynamite said. "He should be back in a few."

"Thanks." Dusty said gratefully.

"The one the Lakota call Haokah beats his drum with the wind to make thunder." The Skycrane spoke, his deep voice surprising Sky a bit. "With thunder comes lightning, and with lightning comes fire."

Silence for a beat.

 _He's gotta be Native American or something._ Sky guessed.

"Okay….." Dusty cleared his throat, getting more and more weirded out.

"Dusty, be nice!" Sky elbowed her racing partner.

"Windlifter!" Dipper said hurriedly. "Stop scaring our guests! I don't hear any drums."

" _Kilawu."_ Windlifter looked towards the tower. Dusty and Sky followed his gaze.

After a moment, an alarm blared out across the base and a woman's voice spoke over the speakers. _"All aircraft, we've got a report of a wildfire."_

 _Wait, how did he…?_ Sky stared at Windlifter in surprise. The Skycrane had a look in his eyes that said "I told you so."

"Come on, boys!" the gray tug from the garage called. "Let's load up!" He looked to the forklift in the tower. "Patch! Drop the needle!" After a moment, rock music began blaring from the speakers.

"It's an actual fire?" Dusty asked as the team suddenly sprang into action.

"Oh yeah!" Dipper nodded. "It happens all the time. You guys only hear about the big ones!"

Before Dusty's and Sky's eyes, the laid-back vehicles around them began darting around and preparing to go to work. The Smokejumpers hurried into their garage and loaded parachutes onto them, speeding out to the Fairchild starting up his engines on the runway. The gray tug sped over to Dipper and locked a hose onto a nozzle on her side, loading retardant into the SuperScooper. Windlifter started up his rotors, waiting for the tug to push over a large cargo container before hooking it on and taking off. The Smokejumpers loaded into the Flying Boxcar, and he and Dipper took off, following Windlifter out into the park.

"We gotta see this!" Dusty said excitedly.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sky urged, hopping back onto Dusty and the two taking off after the firefighters. They flew a safe distance behind the aircraft, not wanting to get in the way. Soon, a huge column of smoke could be seen in the valley, and Sky began to wonder what classified a "big" fire. As they came closer, Dusty and Sky noticed another aircraft already at the scene. The craft disappeared, only to reappear as he burst out of the smoke from the fire. The aircraft, a red and white AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, could only be Chief Blade Ranger. Sky suddenly felt an electric shock, like static, at the sight of Blade, but she shook it off. Blade looped up and around, dropping a load of red retardant around the edge of the fire. His icy blue eyes, alert and focused, scanned every inch of the blaze.

"Whoa!" Dusty breathed, banking off to one side to watch but stay out of the way. He and Sky watched as the firefighters moved per Blade's orders. Dipper and Windlifter made a circle of retardant around the fire. Cabbie dropped the Smokejumpers, and the ATVs got to work clearing debris on the ground to prevent the flames from spreading.

"Wow!" Sky gasped in amazement. "Cool!" She noticed Blade breaking formation, and she watched him fly off towards the trees. Sky spotted a herd of deere desperately trying to escape the fire. One of the males was falling behind, in danger of being cut off from the herd and possibly killed. Swooping down, a door slid open on Blade's side to reveal a winch and hook. Flying down smoothly and swiftly, he let out the cable and caught the deere's antler rack in the hook. Blade pulled up, taking the animal with him just as a burning tree hit the spot the animal previously occupied. The helicopter dropped the deere with the rest of the herd, reeling in the hoist.

"Awesome!" Dusty breathed.

Sky stared in amazement, unable to hide her awe at the work the firefighters did. So _this_ is what firefighting was about. And soon, she and Dusty would get to do it with Mayday. Sky looked ahead and gasped. "Dusty, watch out!"

Too late. Dusty was so focused on what was happening he didn't realize how close he was flying into Blade's path until he accidentally cut off the fire chief. Sky spun around to make sure they didn't clip the helicopter. Her blue-green eyes locked onto Blade's icy blue ones for a brief moment. But in that brief moment, they both felt something like an electric shock. _What's going on?_ Sky wondered. _Why is this happening?_

Blade's surprised expression to the shock fell into a glare as he realized the extra flyers. "Get out of this airspace!" He ordered.

"Oh, sorry!" Dusty called. Suddenly, he flew right through the retardant Dipper had been dropping, coating him and Sky in the red stuff.

Sky coughed and gagged, like Dusty did. Her goggles were so coated she couldn't see a thing. "Aw, Dusty!" She whined.

Dusty looked up and caught sight of Blade as he flew away. The red and white helicopter glared at him with a look that spelled certain doom. _Oh great. We're dead._

* * *

Dusty and Sky yelped as the grey tug hosed them down to get the retardant off. Unfortunately, while it did make them clean, it also left the two sopping wet and a little cold. The tug nodded in satisfaction and rolled off into the garage to get to work. Sky pulled off her goggles, shaking them a bit as water dripped from her clothes and backpack. Blade stood nearby, casting the pair of racers a very uninterested and stern glare.

"When you dry out, wing it back to the lodge with the rest of the tourists." Blade ordered, beginning to roll off.

"We're not tourists." Sky protested, wringing out her hair.

"They're the trainees." Windlifter said.

Blade paused, turning to stare at Sky and Dusty. "You're the ones Mayday radioed about? Oh for the love of—"

"Oh come on, Blade!" Dipper said excitedly. "They're not just any plane or human. It's Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Riley!" Dusty tried to warn Dipper against it, but she continued. "They raced all the way around the world! And Sky's a psyche human, can you believe it?"

Dusty chuckled nervously, not liking the deadpan, unblinking expression in Blade's eyes. "Well, I mean…."

Sky elbowed him. "Come on, own up to it." She looked to Blade and stood up a little straighter. "I _am_ a psyche human, and not only did Dusty and I race all around the world, we _won._ "

"We did." Dusty finally nodded. "We did do that."

Blade rolled up a little closer to them, staring at the pair. Sky felt her confidence begin to waver, but she kept her strong demeanor as Blade spoke. "The world wasn't on fire though, was it?"

Sky blinked. So did Dusty. "Was the whole world…"

"…..on fire?" Sky finished.

She and Dusty shared a look. "No." They said at the same time, Dusty a little more nervous and Sky speaking as though it were obvious.

Blade stared at them for a moment, making a "hmm" sound. Finally, he turned to the tug in the garage. "Maru!"

"What?" Maru shouted indignantly.

"Rip off his landing gear!" Blade ordered.

"Uh, wait, what?" Dusty gasped.

Maru chuckled deviously, dropping his welding mask and firing up his torch.


	51. PFAR: From Racers to Firefighters…Almost

Chapter Five: From Racers to Firefighters…Almost

Sky sat off to one side, watching Maru work. Once Dusty got over his moment of shock, he allowed Maru to remove the tip tanks from his wings and attach a set of pontoons onto the racer. Maru sang softly as he worked, putting the finishing touches on the modifications.

"Not bad, Dusty." Sky mused. "You actually look pretty good."

"You make it sound like I _never_ look good." Dusty said with a smirk. Sky giggled in response.

"These pontoons are gonna be key for firefighting." Maru said. "They may be old—"

"Old?" Dusty blinked in surprise.

"—but they'll let you scoop water right off the lake." Maru finished.

"You put old pontoons on him?" Sky asked skeptically.

"Don't you have any new ones?" Dusty said hopefully.

"New?" Maru laughed as he flipped his welding mask up. "We don't even know what that word means around here!" He tapped the pontoons, kicking up dust and making Dusty cough. "I rebuilt these babies myself. They're better than new. Give 'em a go."

"Huh?" Dusty tentatively began rocking on the pontoons, tilting and swaying. He began yelping a bit as he found he had no control over his movements. Sky ducked and crouched down as Dusty's wing flew over her head, smacking Maru's welding visor back down.

"Pop the wheels, genius." Maru droned.

Dusty rolled his eyes, unable to believe he didn't think of that. He popped out the wheels, allowing him to bounce up a few inches and roll around. "Oh! That's it! Yeah, I'm tall! Look at this. What do you think, Sky?"

"I think you'd make a clumsy boat." Sky teased, laughing.

Dusty mimicked her laughter in a snarky tone, but he caught sight of something on the wall across from him. "Hey! You guys have a Wall of Fame, just like the Jolly Wrenches!"

"Oh, cool!" Sky breathed, joining Dusty to see a section of the wall featuring photos of aerial firefighters and a couple newspaper clippings. Oddly enough, Sky didn't see Blade's picture up there, even though she thought for sure the chief would've made it.

"Hey Maru, how do you get your picture up here?" Dusty asked.

Maru paused, staring at the ground. "Crash."

Dusty's and Sky's faces fell, the two of them saying "Oh" in soft voices. _Well…that explains why Blade isn't up there._ Sky thought.

"Yeah, dangerous work." Maru said, organizing the garage. "But that's the job of a firefighter. Risking their lives for people they don't even know. They fly in when others are flying out." He paused. "Takes a special kind of plane. And immense bravery on your part, Miss Skylar Riley."

"Oh?" Sky asked still staring at the newspaper clippings. She couldn't help but think back to what happened at the Fill N' Fly. Mayday really did save her life, and he was willing to risk life and limb to help her. All these pictures on the Wall were of firefighters who actually died just from doing their jobs. How often did Mayday come close to dying just for doing what his job required of him?

"Humans who become firefighters are at a greater risk than vehicles." Maru explained. "They need a physical strength that's much greater than others their same age. They can't take the hits that a plane can. Not very many humans fight forest fires. Which is why you coming here might prove to be a challenge."

"I don't see how." Sky shrugged. "I can still ride Dusty."

"No, you can't."

The three of them turned to see Blade, having quite suddenly appeared in front of the garage. "What do you mean?" Dusty asked.

"Mayday asked me to train and certify the both of you." Blade said, a glare in his eyes. Dusty and Sky were beginning to think he usually had that look on his face. "The two of you need to be trained and certified separately. It'd be pointless to certify the two of you if you rely too much on each other."

"So what do you propose?" Sky asked curiously.

Blade cast a look to Dusty. "C'mere, Raven. Let's talk."

"Who're you calling 'Raven'?" Sky half-demanded.

"Have you _seen_ your hair?" Blade countered as he began driving off. "Now get over here!"

Sky and Dusty shared a look before the former shrugged and hurried after Blade. "You know, I've been wondering something: why is it I've seen humans everywhere in the park except on this base?"

"You heard Maru." Blade said. "Human firefighters don't usually have the manpower or proper capabilities to fight wildfires in comparison to a more contained building fire. Your racing partner has some potential in becoming a SEAT, but you should just go home and have Mayday train you."

"Mayday's not able to train me." Sky protested. "He's kind of going through something right now."

"What is it?" Blade asked, a hint of worry in his tone.

Sky hesitated. _Does he really need to know the details? Probably not._ "He's getting refurbished. Getting up there in age, I guess."

Blade whipped around to be face-to-face with Sky. "You will treat Mayday with respect, ya hear?"

Sky glared. "I treat Mayday with the _utmost_ respect. He's a good friend and he said you could train and certify both Dusty _and_ me." Blade stared at her, his eyes locked onto hers. Sky refused to back down or be intimidated by his stare. "I _will_ become a firefighter, and I trust Mayday's judgement in picking you as the one to train me. So will you please teach me what I need to know?"

Blade still stared at her. Secretly, he felt somewhat impressed by the girl's dedication. Why she was so devoted, he didn't know, but he decided to push it aside for now. "I can train you and your friend. It's just a matter of what job to give you. There's not much room in Cabbie for an extra Smokejumper, though."

Sky smirked. "If it's all the same to you, I don't think I'm too keen on jumping out of an airplane."

She said it half-jokingly, but Blade's glare deepened. "You best rid yourself of that attitude, kid. Being a firefighter means putting your own needs and comfort zone aside. If you can't follow orders—"

"Hey, take a chill pill." Sky snapped. "That was a joke."

"What we do is no joke." Blade growled.

"I know that." Sky growled back, not taking her eyes off his. She felt that electric shock again, but she ignored it as a different feeling overcame her: a desire to please Blade. She couldn't explain it, but she could feel her usual demeanor threatening to crumble in front of him, and she wondered very briefly if Blade was going through the same thing. Sky exhaled softly. "Sorry. I know what you do isn't a joke, and I'm willing to put forth the work and learn. Just….. _please_ …teach me."

Blade still stared at her, as though trying to read her mind. If Sky didn't know any better, she would've thought she saw Blade's look soften a degree. "You always wear that bandana?"

Sky touched said piece of headwear resting over her hair. "Yeah."

"Start tying it around your wrist." Blade instructed. "Keep your hair tied back. You'll need that bandana to be easily accessible to wear around your face should the smoke get too heavy."

"Right." Sky nodded, pulling the black-and-white camouflage bandana off her head.

"You'll ride with me during training." Blade decided. "You gotta pull your own weight around here, got it?"

Sky nodded firmly. "Aye-aye, Chief." It took all her willpower to not call Blade "crankshaft," but for some reason the thought of even mildly insulting him sounded unpleasant. _Why? Why am I thinking these things? What is it about him that suddenly makes me feel like I'm at home with Skipper?_

* * *

"Fighting wildfire means flying low. And that's why we have Augerin Canyon, our own little obstacle course." Blade instructed, he and Dusty flying over said canyon to begin training. Sky rested in the helicopter's hoist hatch, her harness modified by Maru to wrap around her and hook onto the winch itself so she wouldn't fall out. She had to admit, the canyon was rather beautiful.

 _Way to go, Mayday._ Sky thought. _Perfect place for training._

"Stay below the rim. When you get to the bridge, fly under and pull out." Blade told Dusty.

"Flying low. No problem." Dusty assured in a somewhat cocky manor.

"Overconfidence. The kind of attitude that could get you killed." Blade growled, breaking off and flying up as Dusty dove down.

"Don't worry, he's got this." Sky assured. "Show 'im, Dusty!"

"Copy that, co-pilot!" Dusty said, diving down and beginning to weave his way through the rocks of the canyon. _Whoa!_ He thought, keeping a tentative eye on his torque. _I'm really speeding along! Is this how fast I go when Sky's on me?_ But he pushed the thought aside to stay focused on the course.

Blade and Sky watched from above, keeping at the same pace as Dusty. "Atta boy, Dusty." Sky said into the radio. "Keep it up. Remember to—" She yelped a bit when the hoist bumped into her shoulder. "Hey!"

" _If he keeps relying on hearing your voice, he won't pay attention to what's going on around him."_ Blade's voice came in over her radio. _"He needs to listen for orders, not mindless chatter."_

Sky scowled a bit, but just rolled her eyes and said, "Copy that."

Blade looked back down towards Dusty, noting how close they were getting to the end. "Okay, go under the bridge and pull up." He saw Dusty speed up, but suddenly pull back again and bail out of the maneuver. "Why did you pull power? You gotta firewall it!"

" _The bridge. It's too close to the falls."_ Dusty said.

"No excuses." Blade barked. "If there had been a downdraft, you'd be dead."

* * *

Sky and Dusty watched carefully as Dipper demonstrated the next lesson: how to scoop up water, this time off the lake. Blade gave his instructions, and Dusty headed down to the surface of the lake. He lowered the scoops on his pontoons.

"Come on, Dusty." Sky murmured. But she winced a bit when Dusty bounced off the surface of the lake.

"Twelve to fifteen seconds to scoop then fifty feet to climb out." Blade said, watching with some disappointment as Dusty skipped across the lake like a stone. "And watch out for the tree line!" He rolled his eyes as Dusty quickly pulled up and narrowly avoided the trees. "All right, Raven, let's see you do it. Just hang off the hoist and I'll fly across the lake. You only need to scoop for about ten seconds. Copy that?"

"Copy that." Sky nodded. She pulled a fire extinguisher off her back. Maru had taken an old fire extinguisher and modified it to work like Dusty's pontoons, allowing Sky to scoop up water to later use. Sky hooked the hoist to her harness. "I'm ready!"

"Ready or not, I'm going down anyway." Blade said, swooping down over the lake. Sky tensed, then jumped out. Blade let out some of the cable, causing Sky to dangle over the surface of the lake as he flew just a few feet above it. Sky unlocked the scoop, keeping a firm grip on the fire extinguisher as she dipped it into the water's surface. Blade pulled up after about ten seconds, Sky quickly closing the scoop and smiling broadly to feel the metal container full of water.

"I did it! Dusty, did you see me? I did it! Yes!" Sky cheered.

 _Fwoosh!_

Sky paused in her cheers. In her excitement, she accidentally squeezed the trigger of the extinguisher. The water that shot out of the nozzle hit Blade's face, and the helicopter cast her a stern, irritated glare. Sky chuckled nervously. "Oops…sorry….." She chuckled again, only to look down as her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Blade let out an irritated growl, but said nothing as water dripped from his nose.

* * *

Thankfully, for both Blade and his trainees, the next lesson involved a lecture from Blade about the rules of firefighting and different techniques for dropping water and retardant. Maru joined them with a chalkboard and pointer. Dusty and Sky did their best to pay attention, Sky scribbling down notes in a notebook she packed. But neither were fully prepared for the amount of information thrown at them.

"Indirect attack, parallel attack, direct attack."

"Know what your fire is doing at all times."

"Wind speed and direction."

"Temperature and relative humidity."

It was enough to make Sky's head spin. But she stayed focused. The thought of Mayday counting on them was enough of a motivator.

"Finally, all aircraft must be on the ground thirty minutes after sunset." Blade finished. "Flying low at night is the fastest way to get your picture on the Wall."

* * *

Sky never used a fire extinguisher before, but after a crash course run with Maru she found it relatively easy to use. Dusty, on the other hand, found himself rather bad at dropping water. He at first attributed it to lack of practice crop dusting, but at least when he worked with Leadbottom he wasn't working with a target. Or, in this case, a line of flaming barrels set up on the runway by Blade. Said helicopter hovered near the barrels, watching Dusty try and put out the fires.

Round one: "Too early!"

Round two: "Too high!"

Round three: "Too low."

 _Come on, Dusty._ Sky thought, watching from her vantage point in Maru's garage. _I know you can do this._

"Those crops of yours, they die a lot?" Blade asked.

Dusty glared in irritation. _Oh I'll show you._

* * *

Dynamite and the rest of the Smokejumpers decided to take Sky out to teach her how to be one of them, in hopes maybe Sky could find a job with them until certification.

"What we do is help build a line and clear debris so that the fire can't spread as quickly." Dynamite explained. "It requires quick and hard work to do this."

"I'm ready." Sky assured.

Well, she thought she was ready, at least. Sky liked to think she was pretty fit; heck, she was about as lithe as they came. When Dynamite began testing the girl's limits, she found Sky could lift rather large logs with minimal difficulty. The challenge came while they went out to practice in the forest, clearing brush away from the hiking trails. Dynamite explained their work needed to be done quickly, so she tried timing Sky and watching the girl try to clear brush away. Sky managed to grab a log and pull it out of the trail, but when she turned to grab another her foot caught the root of a nearby tree and she did a perfect face plant. The Smokejumpers winced in sympathy, watching the girl push herself upright and spit dirt out of her mouth.

 _Well that was dumb of me._ Sky growled to herself. It soon became apparent she wasn't accustomed to Smokejumper work. Sky fought to not get discouraged. _Mayday's depending on us. Just keep thinking that. I can't give up now._

* * *

The second time they went out to Augerin Canyon, Sky managed to convince Blade to let her ride Dusty and give him the extra moral support. The two raced through the rocks, easily dodging obstacles and did a few barrel rolls, shooting right towards the bridge and waterfall.

"Let's do it, Dusty." Sky encouraged, her psych-man powers keeping their connection up. _I know we can do it. If I can give him that extra push, we'll clear the bridge no problem._

" _Go to max torque."_ Blade ordered. Dusty began picking up speed, but his alarm instantly went off.

"Keep going!" Sky urged.

" _Don't back off."_ Blade warned.

"Dusty!" Sky whined a bit when Dusty pulled up and out of the canyon.

" _Ah, why did you bail out again?"_ Blade growled. _"If you don't push it, you're not gonna make it. And you won't be certified!"_

"Great." Sky huffed.

Dusty groaned a bit. _Bad enough if I don't get certified. I can't hold Sky back._


	52. PFAR: The Souls Connect

**A/N: Hope you all are enjoying the story! I wish I could've seen your reactions to Sky spraying Blade with the fire extinguisher. Admittedly, that was one of my favorite parts. In this next chapter, we see an amazing capability of psyche human powers.**

* * *

Chapter Six: The Souls Connect

After a week of training, Dusty and Sky started feeling like things were going nowhere. They did their best and worked hard, but it seemed nothing they did left any impact. Blade certainly didn't look impressed. Of course, it seemed like all he ever did was scowl; if he wasn't scowling, he was often giving a wry smirk that matched his sense of humor. Thankfully for Sky, her ankle and burns were healing up nicely. The brace prevented further damage and her burns healed up by the end of the week. But she would still need the ankle brace for another couple weeks to make sure her ankle fully healed. Somehow, that seemed to be the only upside to their week.

Sky started to realize something strange was going on. Blade still refused to let her ride Dusty during training, forcing her to ride in Blade's hoist hatch most of the time. For safety's sake, he tried to keep the door closed and Sky was forced to stare out the small window on Blade's side and listen to her radio for updates. The entire time she rode in the helicopter, she could feel a tug in her psyche human powers. Oddly enough, she only felt that tug when she came into physical contact with Blade or even when she was in close proximity to him. Even stranger: the tug felt like the connection she makes with Dusty for racing, only with a deeper personal feeling, like how she sees Skipper as her family. It didn't make much sense; how could she make a connection like that with her powers but have it feel like a familial bond? Especially with Blade of all vehicles, someone she only knew for that one week. She didn't know it, but Blade had noticed it as well. He couldn't explain it either; why did he feel this spark when Sky was around him? It wasn't like he was falling in love with her, heaven forbid. So what could it be? Why did he feel so….comfortable around the raven-haired girl?

Sky stared out the little window in the hoist hatch door, watching Dusty as they all made their way back to base after training. Suddenly, Dusty began speeding up, eyeing a trail of smoke in the near distance. Sky's eyes widened when she saw what Dusty was doing. "Dusty, wait! That's not—"

Too late. Dusty dropped some of his retardant right onto fire…and the campers sitting in front of it.

"Good job." Sky heard Blade say sarcastically. Sky face palmed, groaning.

" _This is Park Ranger Jammer to Ranger 301. Come in, Blade."_ A new voice said over the radio.

"This is Ranger 301." Blade said into the radio. "Go ahead, Jammer."

 _Jammer?_ Sky blinked in confusion.

" _We got two campers trapped out on the Piston Peak cliffs."_ Jammer said. _"You think you could help us out with the rescue?"_

"Copy that." Blade said. "I'll be there ASAP." He looked to Dusty. "Champ, head back to base."

"What about Sky?" Dusty asked.

"She better stay out of the way." Blade said, mostly to said girl.

"I'll be okay, Dusty." Sky said into her radio. "See you back at base." Blade turned and took off towards the park's namesake structure, Sky peering through the window to see what was happening. Soon, she could spy a small group of human and vehicle park rangers out on the cliffs. A blue Sedan rested on a ledge about fifty feet below the rangers. A young human man was already with the rangers, being treated for any injuries. Blade opened up the door to the hoist hatch, readying the tool should he be needed.

" _We're gonna get some rangers down there and hook the harness on."_ Jammer's voice came over Blade's and Sky's radios. _"Once we lift him up a ways, we could use some help hoisting him up."_

"Copy that." Blade said. He hovered near to the cliff edge, but could only get so close without his rotors hitting the rocks. Sky kept a close eye on what was happening, watching Jammer and another vehicle loop a rope around a tree near the ledge. A couple human rangers grabbed onto the harness, allowing Jammer and the vehicle ranger to lower them down to the trapped Sedan. Once the rangers managed to wrap the harness around the car, Jammer and the rest of the rangers on the cliff began pulling on the rope. Blade lowered himself down a little more, ready to hook the camper.

Suddenly, the tree the rope pressed against began breaking free from its roots, sliding forward several feet before it began tilting. The rope jerked away from Jammer and the rangers, forcing the camper and rangers with him to make a bit of a hard landing back on the ledge. The tree stopped a few feet from the edge of the cliff and began falling down, straight towards the trapped camper and rangers. Blade hurriedly dived down, throwing his hook. But he ended up jerking a bit to avoid the rocks, knowing if his rotors hit the cliff they'd be sheared right off. Unfortunately, that little jerk cut the amount of momentum on the hoist. In a split-second, Blade knew the hoist would never reach the tree in time and he didn't have another chance to throw it.

There was a flash of black, and Blade suddenly became aware of Sky leaping from his hoist hatch. She grabbed the hoist as she fell, throwing the hook around and looping the cable around the tree. Sky landed on the falling tree a split-second after clipping the hook to the cable. Blade quickly adjusted his angle of hovering, holding the tree against the cliff edge. Sky gripped the bark of the tree with her arms and legs, panting a bit. But she found Blade was able to keep the tree and herself from falling over the cliff. Jammer began barking orders, the rangers working quickly to pull the rope around the tree. They hauled the camper up to their spot, carefully watching the ropes as they slid across the edge. Soon, they were all on solid ground and out of harm's way. Blade pulled the tree up, Sky gripping the hoist cable to prevent herself from falling, and the helicopter carefully lowered the tree to flat land.

Sky let out the breath she didn't know she held, jumping off the tree and unhooking the hoist. "Let me help you with that." Jammer said, pushing against the tree to roll it off Blade's hoist. "That was very brave of you, lil' lady."

Sky blinked, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, it was nothing."

"I wouldn't say that. You just saved their lives." Jammer assured with a smile. He looked up to Blade. "Better keep this one around, Blade. She's gonna make a great firefighter."

Sky's entire face turned red as she stammered a "Thank you" and grabbed Blade's hoist, allowing him to pull her back up. The helicopter took off, back to base, and Sky took a moment to think about what just happened.

She saved someone's life. Heck, she just saved three lives in one sitting. She wasn't exactly thinking of anything except what she could do to help. Is this how Mayday's train of thought worked when he did his job? When he was saving Sky from the Fill N' Fly fire, was he thinking about the fire or was he thinking about the best way to save her? Or was he even thinking at all? Sky finally smiled, feeling rather proud of herself. _I bet I made Max proud too. Well, Max, this is for you. I'll never be as good as you, but I sure can do my best to come close._

When Blade landed back at the base and let Sky hop out, they were immediately surrounded by the rest of the team all talking at once.

"Hey! Take it easy!" Blade snapped, making everyone back up a bit. "What's going on?"

"We got a call from the lodge—" Maru started.

"If Cad is complaining about something else, so help me…" Blade growled.

"No, no, not this time." Maru waved a tine. "Actually, it was one of the campers. They wanted to talk to Raven and thank her." If Sky hadn't been so surprised by the announcement, she would've rolled her eyes at Maru calling her "Raven." Ever since Blade started, everyone on the base agreed that it was a fitting nickname given the pitch blackness of her hair.

"Thank me?" Sky repeated. "Why?"

"Well you apparently saved their life." Maru explained. "And the lives of a couple rangers, I hear."

Sky looked down, her face burning. "Um, well…"

"She did." Blade suddenly said, surprising Sky. "We were out at the cliffs with Jammer, aiding in a rescue, and Sky here saved the lives of the camper and the rangers."

"Yeah, but you were the one who threw the hook." Sky shrugged, a bit shocked by Blade calling her "Sky" instead of "Skylar" or "Raven."

"With not enough power. If you hadn't acted when you did, someone could've gotten hurt or killed." Blade said firmly.

"That's so amazing!" Dusty said excitedly. "Just wait until everyone back home hears!"

"She's really one of us, eh guys?" Blackout said, the rest of the Smokejumpers agreeing.

"HOORAY FOR RAVEN!" Avalanche shouted.

"Way to go!" Dipper complimented. Even Cabbie and Windlifter looked impressed. Sky suddenly felt shy; she never got so much attention before, even during races with Dusty. It didn't seem like a big deal, but looking back she guessed the tree would've crushed the camper and rangers on the ledge had she not acted in time. The compliments and some cheering continued for a few minutes before Sky laughed and told them all to knock it off. But she couldn't stop the male Smokejumpers from singing her praises as everyone dispersed.

"It really is amazing." Dusty said. "You should be proud."

"I guess I'm not used to doing things that are considered heroic." Sky shrugged.

"Hey Raven." Blade suddenly called, the helicopter standing up on a porch-like area outside his hanger. "Come over here. We need to talk."

"Oh great." Sky groaned.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Dusty assured. "You're a hero. He can't give you a hard time about what happened." He rolled off, leaving Sky to make her way over to Blade. The red and white helicopter stared at her, looking like he was thinking very hard about something.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Sky asked.

Blade still only stared for a minute. "Why did you do that? Why did you jump out like that?"

Sky blinked. "Well, I…." She paused. Now that she thought about it, why the heck _did_ she do that? How did she know to jump out, grab the hoist, and loop it around the tree? "I just…..did what I had to do….."

"You did exactly what I wanted you to do." Blade said, causing Sky to blink in surprise. "I knew if you could somehow jump out and hook the hoist around the tree, we'd have a chance to save them. I wanted to give the order, but I knew I wouldn't be able to say it in time. And then, you did it."

Sky stared at him, the gears in her brain working in overdrive. "So…..we were literally thinking the same thing." It was a statement, not a question. Then she realized just how right she was; Blade's thoughts had been projected into her mind, and she knew exactly what she had to do. "But how is that possible?"

"Have you been feeling something strange ever since you started training?" Blade asked, his thoughts running a mile a minute. "Like a connection forming between us?"

If Sky wasn't a psyche human, the question would've come off as a little awkward. But she couldn't deny it now. "Yeah. It's like my psych-man powers keep reacting…whenever we're near each other, or whenever we make contact like when I'm riding in that hatch. I don't know what it is, though. My powers have never done something like this."

"I think I have a theory." Blade said, seeming to talk to himself and to Sky. "It's a little…..crazy….."

"I'm a psyche human who was raised by a Corsair. I've seen some crazy stuff in my life." Sky assured.

Blade stared at her, his icy blue eyes seeming to search for answers in Sky's blue-green orbs. "Do you know about Soul Connections?"

"Every psyche human knows about Soul Connections." Sky said. "Psych-mans are able to use their abilities to connect their consciousness, power, and soul to that of a machine's. This is usually done consciously, thinking about the connection to be made and activating it. A Soul Connection is when a connection between a psyche human and a machine happens instantly, without thinking about it." She instantly caught on. "You don't think…?"

"There's one way to find out." Blade suggested. He searched his memories before settling on one in particular. Sky slowly came forward, reaching a hand out and placing it to Blade's side. The moment her skin made contact with metal, a vision flashed before her eyes of a forest fire, the Air Attack team in the middle of battling it. The memory Blade was thinking of. The memory disappeared after a minute. Sky and Blade looked to see a ghostly blue line, like a thread, appeared connecting Sky's heart to Blade's engine. The ghostly thread was an icy blue color, just like Blade's eyes; all Soul Connect lines match the color of the vehicle's eyes.

Sky and Blade could Soul Connect.

Sky pulled her hand back, the thread disappearing. She and Blade stared at each other, visible shock written in their eyes. "That's…amazing….." Sky breathed.

Blade, still a bit stunned, nodded. "And….I think we found a job for you."

"Really?" Sky asked, her excitement growing.

"From now on, you work directly with me." Blade decided. "That'll help continue your training until you can be certified."

"Okay!" Sky nodded happily, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet. She shook her head and gathered her composure. "I mean, yes sir."

Blade nodded, rolling off to scout for spot fires. He paused at the bottom of the ramp and looked up towards Sky. His usual glare melted into the very softest of smiles for only a moment before he resumed his usual scowl and took off.

Sky waited until nobody could see her before she let out an excited squeal and began hopping around in joy. She found her Soul Connect partner. She _finally_ found her Soul Connect partner, the one thing every psyche human hopes for all their lives. She knew her powers were meant for more than just racing. She found her Soul Connect partner! Just wait until Dusty—

Sky paused, staring at the ground. How would she tell Dusty? She began to realize this new connection was _much_ stronger than the connection she consciously made with Dusty for their racing. Now that she found her Soul Connection, would this change anything?

 _No, of course not!_ Sky shook her head, allowing a warm smile to come back on her lips as she skipped off. _This is an amazing thing and Dusty will be happy for me._ She leaned her head back to let the sun wash over her face. _Blade. My Soul Connect partner. Maybe there's more to you than I thought._

* * *

As Sky discovered, maybe it wouldn't be as easy as she thought revealing her newfound Soul Connection. Dusty didn't exactly like Blade very much. In fact, when Sky returned from talking with Blade, Dusty had hurriedly asked if the helicopter was unkind to her in any way. Sky denied it, giving the excuse that Blade only wanted to talk about their future training. Dusty seemed satisfied with the answer, and Sky realized maybe she should hold off on telling him about the Soul Connect, just in case.

" _Propwash Junction to Dusty and Sky!"_ Skipper's voice said over the radio in their hanger.

Dusty hurriedly answered. "Hey, Skipper!"

"Hi Dad!" Sky called happily.

" _Hey! How's it going?"_ Skipper asked.

Dusty sighed a bit. "This is tougher than I thought, but it is so good to hear from you."

" _I hear my daughter's already a hero."_ Skipper said.

"What?" Sky laughed.

" _We heard you saved some campers while you were up there!"_ Sparky said excitedly. _"Way to go, Soarin' Sky!"_ There was a round of cheers in the background, and Sky giggled.

"Thanks, guys." Sky said. "It wasn't anything big, though."

" _Not from what we heard!"_ Mayday called from the background. _"I'm really proud of you, Skylar!"_

Sky smiled warmly. "Thanks, Mayday. I miss you all very much."

" _Well, we wanted to radio—"_ Skipper started.

" _Hey, Skip! Let me tell 'em!"_ Chug called excitedly.

" _Oh, all right, Chug."_ Skipper said.

"Tell us what?" Dusty asked, hoping it wasn't more bad news about the airport.

Even over the radio, Chug sounded like he was ready to burst from excitement. _"We got the gearbox!"_

Dusty's and Sky's faces broke into smiles. "Are you kidding me?!"

" _We got a buddy out in California who found one for you!"_ Sparky said. _"He's gonna ship it out tonight!"_

" _We'll have it in a couple of days!"_ Chug called.

Sky cheered, hugging Dusty. "Oh that's so amazing! Dusty, you can race again!"

"Hey, _we_ can race again!" Dusty corrected.

Sky laughed. "You bet! You guys are awesome! Way to go!"

"This is the best news!" Dusty sighed happily. "This is just what I needed to hear right now."

" _We'll let you know as soon as we get it!"_ Dottie called from the background.

" _Hey Dusty, Sky! Listen to my new siren!"_ Mayday called. A second later, a strange squeaking sound came from the radio. Dusty stared, blinking a bit, while Sky tilted her head to one side in confusion. The sound stopped after a moment. _"Huh?"_

A pause, then Dottie came on. _"I haven't actually hooked up his siren yet."_

Sky snickered. "Man, do I miss you guys. The minute Dusty and I are certified, we'll fly right home!"

" _Can't wait to see ya!"_ Sparky said.

" _All aircraft, be advised, Superintendent Spinner has entered the base. I repeat, Superintendent Spinner has entered the base."_ Patch said over the intercom. Someone was honking their horn loudly in the distance.

"Hm, something's up." Dusty realized. "Gotta go, guys!"

"Bye Dad! Bye everyone!" Sky called, she and Dusty moving out to investigate. The honking was getting louder, and Sky could see Blade begrudgingly making his way over towards the main hanger. Maru was doing tune-ups on Dipper and Windlifter.

"Hey, what's with all the ruckus?" Sky asked as she and Dusty approached their comrades.

"Eh, park superintendent." Maru scoffed.

"He waxes himself. Daily." Windlifter said, causing snickers from Dipper and Maru.

Sky was about to ask what was so bad about the superintendent, but someone calling out over the base made her look towards the source of the voice. A Cadillac drove up to the base, a Piston Peak National Park logo on his sides and his paintjob a glistening, sparkling white. He looked far too pristine for a park manager, more suited to the city than a forest.

"Honk-honk, beep-beep!" The Cadillac called obnoxiously. "Park Superintendent coming. I sign your paychecks!" Maru drove off, clearly not keen on sticking around much longer. Sky could see why; this Cadillac was already getting on her nerves.

"Blade!" The Cadillac said as he approached the fire chief.

"What do you want, Cad?" Blade demanded. Sky could tell this wasn't going to go in a good direction, based only on Blade's current mood. His scowl seemed to grow deeper with Cad's presence.

"What? You think I like driving all around just to complain?" Cad sighed. "No, I don't. But I heard from some campers that one of your staff just soaked them with that red fire phosphorescent stuff that you use."

"Nice going." Sky hissed to Dusty.

"Shut up." Dusty hissed back before speaking up. "Yeah, I'm sorry. That was my fault."

"The team needs to train." Blade told Cad. "There's gonna be some mud spilled along the way." Sky and Dusty blinked in surprise. Was Blade actually…..defending his new SEAT? But they couldn't think about it for long; Cad apparently found great interest in them.

"Are you kidding me?" Cad laughed. "Blade, you're hiding a world famous racer right here at Piston Peak!"

"Dusty Crophopper." The former crop duster introduced. "And this is Skylar Riley."

"Sup." Sky gave a half-nod in greeting.

"Aw, right! She's your cute little pilot!" Cad cooed. "Hey, she's quite the looker too."

Sky glared, growling. _How about you take a nice long look at my foot in your windshield?_

"I'm Cad Spinner." Cad introduced. "And you are one fast plane! What are you doing up here? Doesn't matter. Hey! There's a grand reopening party at a lodge tomorrow night. You're invited! And your little pilot can come too. I'm thinking high-speed flyover. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking it'll be…it'll be dark." Dusty noted, remembering what Blade said about flying low at night.

"And I think you're jackwagon in Cadillac's clothing." Sky said in a sassy tone. She heard Dipper struggling to hold back her laughs.

Cad didn't seem to notice the insult. "It'll be fun! There's gonna be a lot of VIPs. 'Very Important Planes.' How would you like to rub tires with the Secretary of the Interior of the United States…..of America? I smell photo op!"

"I smell somethin' else." Blade noted, mostly to Windlifter and Dipper beside him.

Cad rolled his eyes, looking to the fire chief. "Blade, let me make it simple. Spilling mud on people makes for sad campers. Big party at my lodge makes for happy campers!"

"You've packed too many 'happy campers' into the park." Blade snapped. "And way too many into that lodge."

"Oh, we've got a structural fire engine down there protecting it." Cad assured.

"This isn't just about protecting the lodge." Blade protested. "There's low humidity, a lot of dead wood, and we're already short on resources as it is."

Dipper moved over to Dusty and Sky, the three of them watching Blade and Cad argue. She whispered, "He got the Park Service to shift eighty percent of our budget to his lodge restoration project."

"I thought Ripslinger was annoying." Sky whispered. "He's a walk in the park compared to this guy." Dusty nodded in agreement.

"This base is held together with baling wire and duct tape!" Blade snapped. "Maru had to rebuild that old tower himself!"

In the distance, Maru called, "It's better than new!"

"Hear me, fellow forest friends, dirty though you may be." Cad called, clearly not taking an interest in Blade's words. "This is an historic weekend." A ringing sound rang out, and an antenna rose from Cad's headlight. "Cad, you got thirty seconds. Go." He began arguing with the person on the other end, hardly noticing the looks the firefighters gave him.

Sky blinked in surprise, then glared again. _Good thing Skipper isn't here. He wouldn't put up with this for a single second. Props to Blade for his patience; I'll bet Cad is technically his boss. What rotten luck._

Cad finally hung up, a smirk on his face. He looked to Dusty. "So will I see you at the party? Yes, I will!" He clicked his tongue. "Superstar! And I know I'll see you too, sweet thang." He looked to Sky at that second part.

Sky fumed with anger now. "Keep talkin' like that and I'll show you how quickly I can turn sour!"

"Ooh! A feisty one! I like it!" Cad laughed.

Sky lunged, only for Dusty to spin around and catch her in his wing. "Easy, Sky!"

"Me?" Sky scoffed.

"Remember what happened the last time you lost your temper and you ticked off that person from you-know-where?" Dusty whispered.

Sky tensed a bit. The last thing she wanted was to get Blade and the base in trouble. So she glared at Cad and let out a growl, but said nothing else. Card hardly seemed to notice as he drove off. "Dusty Cropslinger! He and his pilot are even more famous than you, Blazin' Blade!"

Sky picked up a rock at her feet and gave it a throw, the stone bouncing off Cad's roof. But when he spun around, everyone gave an innocent look (or a glare in Blade's case). Cad turned and continued on, repeating the process when Sky threw another rock. Blade watched Cad leave before sighing in frustration and rolling off, no doubt a major headache beginning to form. Sky watched Blade go, feeling sorry for the fire chief. Cad must've given the base quite a bit of grief in the past. She couldn't blame their reaction; she kind of hated Cad herself. He treated her just like the people who questioned psyche humans on racing vehicles. He only saw her as a pilot, nothing more. _But I_ am _more._ Sky reminded herself. _I know that now. Because I found Blade. Speaking of which….._

"Why did Cad call Blade by that name?" Sky asked.

Dusty looked to Windlifter and Dipper. "Yeah, what's 'Blazin' Blade'?"

"Shh!" Dipper said hurriedly.

"What, me shush?" Dusty asked, Dipper continuing her efforts to silence him. "I just said 'Blazin' Blade'."

" _Kilawu!"_ Windlifter finally said. Past experience showed this translated to "Quiet!"

"What?" Dusty and Sky whispered.

"Tonight." Windlifter said. "Main hanger. Tell no one. _Especially_ Blade."


	53. PFAR: Of Blade and Nick

Chapter Seven: Of Blade and Nick

Sky found herself wandering around the base, getting a look at everything. Her mind kept focusing on her Soul Connect. She and Blade hadn't had a chance to really experiment with it and test the strength of the bond, but she could tell from their first test it was the most powerful connection she ever made with a vehicle. She only wished she knew more about Blade; they hadn't had a chance to really socialize since she came here, even after finding out about the Soul Connect. It was confusing, yet exciting.

Then there was Dusty. The connection she made with him for their racing was something they had to build up over time to make it strong. He wouldn't get jealous because of this, would he? No, Dusty's too nice for something like that. So then why couldn't Sky bring herself to tell him the news?

It was times like this when Sky realized she wasn't going to get answers on her own. She needed a sort of third party to talk to. Back in Propwash, this usually ended up being Mayday and Max. But who could she talk to up here? More importantly, who could she talk to who could keep a secret?

Certainly not any of the Smokejumpers; Avalanche doesn't have an "inside voice."

Dipper? No, she'd go all fan girl crazy.

Cabbie? Heck no.

Patch? Eh, Sky didn't know her all that well.

Maru? Not even if her life depended on it.

That left only one other person, and Sky couldn't believe she didn't think of him first: Windlifter.

Hence the reason she stood in front of the doors to Windlifter's hanger, gathering her courage and knocking. But no response came, even after the second round of knocking. Sky looked over to Maru as the tug passed by. "Hey Maru! Where's Windlifter?"

"He's usually out in the woods behind his hanger at this time." Maru called. "Try to not startle him!"

"Can do!" Sky waved before jogging around the back of the hanger. She wandered into the woods for a while before she finally found a familiar green Sikorsky. He had his tail to her, so she made sure to give him a wide berth to get into his line of sight. If he jerked around too quickly, his tail would knock her out cold in seconds, and she did _not_ want to deal with that resulting headache. She paused when she found him with eyes closed, singing softly in his native tongue. Sky stared in awe, enchanted.

"Good afternoon, She with Raven Hair." Windlifter said, shocking Sky out of her trance.

"Oh! Hello!" Sky fiddled with her hair nervously. "Sorry if I'm disturbing you."

"I just finished." Windlifter said, his tone neutral as always. "You wish to speak with me about something important."

Sky blinked. "How'd you know that?"

"You move with purpose, to search." Windlifter said. "You did not find me by wandering."

 _Okay, he's good. And I can't remember when I've ever heard him speak so much._ Sky laughed a little. "Yeah, um, I need a second opinion on something I'm going through and you seem like a good person to talk to."

"Then speak. I will listen." Windlifter said, his copper eyes locked onto Sky.

Sky took a breath. "Okay. So you know I'm a psyche human. And we can connect ourselves to vehicles and all that. Do you know what a Soul Connect is?"

"There are many legends of the Soul Connect." Windlifter responded. "Some say the first Soul Connecters were created to aid in a great war of the spirits. It is said every psyche human has a vehicle out there waiting for them, and that vehicle has a human waiting for them."

"Really?" Sky breathed. "Cool!" _I wonder how long Blade's been waiting for me. If he was, at least._

"You have found your Soul Connect." Windlifter guessed.

"Yeah!" Sky nodded excitedly. "It's Blade."

Windlifter stared at her for a moment before nodding, as though in approval. "Go on."

"Well, it's an amazing thing for me and I'm sure at least a little exciting for Blade." Sky explained. "I always knew my powers could let me do more than just race with Dusty. Which brings me to my problem—"

"You have not told him." Windlifter said.

Sky nodded, rubbing the back of her head. "It's just…..I don't know _how_ to tell him. This connection I found with Blade….it's stronger than any other connection I've ever made with a vehicle. I can't wait to see what it'll allow us to do and I'm looking forward to getting to know Blade a little more. But…..I don't know how Dusty will react…this connection just feels so much stronger and so much better than the one he and I create when we're racing. Well, I mean not _better_ but…..you know what I mean." _I hope._

Windlifter thought for only a moment. "Is Dusty good friend?"

"He's a great friend." Sky shrugged. "Like a brother to me."

"Is he?" Windlifter asked again.

Sky thought for a moment. "Yes. Absolutely. When I had the dream to fly, he made it real."

"If the bond you share is true, then this new connection should not come between you." Windlifter said.

Sky stared at him before smiling. _He's right. I know Dusty and I are good enough friends that this won't be an issue._ "Thanks, Windlifter. Now when are you going to explain this whole…." She looked around before dropping her voice to a whisper. "….Blazin' Blade thing?"

Windlifter almost smirked. "Tonight. Main hanger."

* * *

That night, as instructed, Dusty and Sky made their way to the main hanger where, hopefully, they'd get some answers to this Blazin' Blade Mystery. Every other hanger was dark, even Blade's. The two approached the door, wondering if they should knock or just start calling out to their comrades.

A few rattling sounds came from inside the hanger, and a metal slot opened up in the door to reveal a green eye staring out at them.

" _AH!"_ Dusty and Sky gasped, jumping in surprise. They soon calmed when they realized it was only Maru.

"Password." Maru whispered.

"You didn't tell us a password." Dusty whispered.

"It's 'inferno.'" Maru whispered.

Sky shared a look with Dusty before they both whispered "Inferno."

The slot closed, and Maru pulled open the doors. Sky and Dusty wandered inside, discovering the entire Air Attack team present save for Blade (wherever he was). Dipper called Dusty over to the spot next to her. Sky chose to sit closer to Windlifter, to the right of Avalanche. Maru started passing around cans of oil, giving Sky a juice box.

"Seriously?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"We're out of water bottles." Maru shrugged. "I gotta order more from the lodge."

"Eh, no biggie." Sky shrugged, punching her straw into the box and sipping the juice. A wave of apple flavoring instantly coated her mouth.

Maru moved over to some cans on a shelf and pulled out a video tape. The case read…. " _Howard the Truck_?" Dusty asked. "You invited me and Sky here to watch—"

"Dude, judge not a video by its cover." Drip said.

Maru popped the video out of its case, pushing it into a VCR and everyone directing their attention to the TV before them. Sky and Dusty settled down, curious as to what they would see. After a brief commercial, some sort of disco-genre tune came on. _Oh if this is one of those cheesy 70s show, I swear….._ Sky rolled her eyes, taking a sip from her juice box. Soon, she could see glimpses of two helicopters flying over an L.A. highway. The title came on: _CHoPs._ Sky stared at the screen, starting to get interested. _Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought._ Then, she saw the actors: a familiar AgustaWestland and a Hughes 500D helicopter.

 _Blazin' Blade Ranger_ and _Nick Loopin' Lopez._

Sky did a perfect spit take with her juice, coughing. "SPIT TAKE!" Avalanche called, much to everyone's amusement.

"Oh shut up." Sky coughed a bit more as some of her juice found its way into her windpipe and dribbled down her chin.

"Hold on." Dusty finally got over his shock. "Blade was a TV star?"

"139 episodes of law-breaking love." Dipper sighed, only to be shushed by the rest of the team. Dusty and Sky sat down to watch the episode. Blade and Nick arrested crooks, rescued trapped vehicles and people from a fire, and ended up scoring a double date by the end of the show. When Blade used his hoist to rescue a vehicle, everyone shouted "Hoist!" and took a sip of their oil, indicating a drinking game. Dusty and Sky shared a look before following their example. Sky studied the two actors closely. Nick, he was a bit hot-headed but seemed quite passionate about his job. Blade usually seemed to be the one to calm down the smaller helicopter and stop him from doing something stupid. Blade seemed…..happy. He even had a catchphrase—a _catchphrase_ of all things—that he would say to Nick: "Good move, partner." For once, he wasn't using that sarcastic, wry sense of humor Sky and Dusty knew. He was laughing and smiling and looking so much different than the fire chief of Piston Peak Air Attack. Sky knew at once this was the side of Blade she had to know about; if they were meant to have this connection, they'd have to know each other's pasts.

"Was this show actually popular in the 70s?" Sky asked as the episode ended.

"It's still pretty popular now." Blackout said.

"Yeah right." Sky scoffed. _Cool as this show is, I don't know if I could call this "popular."_

As everyone began talking and debating about which episode to watch next, Sky and Dusty shared a look. A famous television star turned firefighter? Somehow, it didn't really make sense. Dusty rolled forward a bit. "Hey guys? Guys!"

"QUIET!" Avalanche shouted, silencing the commotion.

"Thanks." Dusty nodded. "I just don't get something. Blade was such a big star and clearly doing well. So what is he doing here?"

"I don't know." Drip admitted.

"WE DON'T KNOW!" Avalanche confirmed.

"It's a mysterious mystery." Drip said.

"You seriously don't know?" Sky asked, surprised. "He's your chief."

"He's also not exactly the social type." Blackout noted.

"INTROVERT!" Avalanche shouted, making Sky wince.

"From my experience, this kind of stuff is classified." Cabbie said.

"BLACK OPS!" Avalanche agreed.

"You know, probably top secret." Cabbie noted.

"CIA!" Avalanche screamed.

"I'm sure he could tell us."

"YES!"

"But he'd have to kill us."

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Sky flinched with every shout from Avalanche, and she began to regret sitting next to the bulldozer. _I'm gonna go deaf in one ear at this rate._

"Whatever the reason is, it's his business and we're not asking." Dynamite said.

Sky looked towards the TV, the show replaying in her head. Her thoughts lingered on Nick Loopin' Lopez, and she realized just how close he and Blade seemed to be. She could tell acting from the real thing, and Nick and Blade clearly had a strong bond. They've could've been brothers, by the looks of things. But Blade was here, and Nick wasn't. Why?

 _Did those two have a falling out or something?_ Sky wondered. _If they did, what could've possibly driven them apart?_

* * *

Dusty and Sky sat with the team and watched a few more episodes before everyone determined to turn in for the night. On the way to their hanger, Sky remembered what she wanted to tell Dusty all day.

"Hey Dusty, can we talk?" Sky asked as they walked.

"Sure, what about?" Dusty asked.

"Well, you know about how my psyche human powers work?" Sky began.

"Well you're not just riding me during races for the fun of it." Dusty noted, causing laughter between them.

"Yeah. So, there's this thing called a Soul Connect." Sky explained. "It happens when my powers react to contact with a specific vehicle. It's like the connection I can usually make, like the one we create during racing, but it happens in an instant. I don't have to think about it at all; it just happens. That's how powerful the connection is."

"And it only happens with a specific person?" Dusty clarified.

"Yep." Sky nodded. "Soul Connections happen between single pair consisting of a psych-man and a vehicle. It's almost like the two were made for each other."

"So, I'm guessing you found yours?" Dusty guessed. He half-hoped it was him, but he knew if Sky had found they Soul Connected, they would've known much sooner. That means it had to be someone on the base. _Maybe it's Windlifter. He and Sky would get along well. Or maybe even Dipper or one of the Smokejump—_

"It's Blade." Sky finally said.

Dusty screeched to a halt, staring in shock. Sky turned to stare at him with slight nervousness. Dusty continued to stare off into space before he practically shouted, _"BLADE?!"_

"Shhh!" Sky hissed, slapping her hands over his lips. "Keep it down! Blade and I just found out today. Nobody else knows except you and Windlifter."

Dusty looked around, but everyone else already returned to their hangers. "But….you…and Blade?"

Sky rubbed the back of her head. "It kind of came as a surprise to both of us. But it's legit. The two of us can Soul Connect, and he says I'm going to work directly with him from now on until I can get certified." She smiled warmly. "Isn't it great? I always knew I could do great things with my powers, and now I've finally found my Soul Connect partner! It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me!"

Dusty stared at Sky, unable to remember when she looked so excited. He felt a little hurt. When did she ever look so excited when they raced? Only once, he could recall: their first race in the Wings Around the Globe Rally. She was bonding….with _Blade Ranger_. Blade Ranger, the grumpiest, most sarcastic hard aft on the face of the planet, in Dusty's opinion at least. But the sight of Sky's warm and excited smile made Dusty feel even guiltier; who was he to bring her hopes down?

So he smiled warmly. "That's amazing, Sky."

"I'm glad you think so." Sky sighed. "I was really nervous to tell you."

"Hey, come on." Dusty shrugged, burying his feelings under his smile. "It's your Soul Connect! That's the coolest thing to happen to a psych-man! At least I think so."

"It is." Sky nodded as they continued on to their hanger. "Every psyche human has a Soul Connect partner out there waiting for them, but we never know who it is until we find them."

"That's awesome, Sky. Congrats." Dusty said. She smiled broadly, and Dusty felt another pang of hurt. That smile wasn't for him; it was for _Blade._ Jealousy began to bubble up in Dusty, but he desperately pushed it down and kept smiling. "So, does this Soul Connect give you superpowers? Like flying?"

"I wish." Sky rolled her eyes. "But there are a lot of reports of Soul Connect partners being able to do things other people can't, even psych-mans. Soul Connect partners are able to heal each other in an instant, although that power only works between them. Some can connect their minds and read each other's thoughts. It is said the Soul Connect partners develop special powers, like pyrokinesis." She laughed. "Wouldn't that be ironic? Firefighters being able to create fire?"

Dusty forced a laugh. "Yeah. Totally ironic." Sky kept going, talking about all she read about Soul Connections and what she thought would happen between her and Blade. Dusty did a great job keeping a smile on. Inside, he was growing more and more jealous. The connection he and Sky made for racing was a connection they had to consciously make, and if they didn't work together the connection would break. His malfunctioning gearbox caused their connection to waver during their run around Propwash. This new connection, this Soul Connection, it happened instantaneously between Sky and Blade. And based on the way Sky described the connection, it was _stronger_ than the one she made with Dusty. It was….better than his connection…better than him…

 _I'm not as good as Blade, is that it?_ Dusty thought. _I'm not good enough for Sky anymore?_


	54. PFAR: Bonding the Broken

**A/N: Short-ish chapter, but so important I thought it deserved to be alone. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Bonding the Broken

 _Darkness._

 _Flashes of visions popped up for moments at a time._

 _The moments looked happy, the sounds seeming separate yet connected._

" _Good move, partner!"_

 _Nick performing his signature loop._

" _You're a good friend, Nick."_

 _Blade flying through the air, his paintjob switching from_ CHoPs _to red and back again._

" _You know I'll always be there for you,_ hermano _."_

 _Nick spiraling out of the sky, a look of terror on his face._

" _I've done this loop in worse before. I'll do it real quick and we'll leave."_

 _Blade hurrying to his friend, looking horrified._

" _Nick! Nick, please stay with me. Don't die."_

" _Blade…"_

 _Fires ranging all around._

" _Now you gotta be the one who's there for him,_ Cuervo. _"_

" _NO!"_

* * *

Sky bolted upright, panting. Sweat ran down her forehead, but she wiped it away. Soon, her breathing became normal again. _Just a dream…..just a dream…..just…..a really crazy, nonsensical dream. What_ was _that?_ Well, she could tell it was Blade and Nick. But why? Why did she see what she saw?

Hearing movement, Sky looked up from her sleeping bag on the floor to see Dusty rolling towards the window of the hanger. "Dusty?" She whispered, standing and joining the racer. "What are you doing up?"

"Wondering the same about Blade." Dusty said, keeping his gaze out the window. Sky followed his look to see Blade standing out on a cliff a short distance from the base, staring out at the forest below. A lightning storm was coming through.

"What's he doing out here?" Sky murmured. "I mean, TV star turned firefighter? How does _that_ make sense?"

"Who knows?" Dusty shook his nose a bit. "But look at us: we're racers becoming firefighters."

"Yeah, but when that gearbox comes in you can go back." Sky noted. "Blade's clearly been here a long time. It's like he left acting and didn't look back."

Dusty noted Sky said " _you_ can go back," not " _we_ can go back." He wasn't sure what to make of it, wondering if maybe Sky just slipped up and didn't notice. But her words from the day they discovered his gearbox busted rang through his head. She wanted to take a break, to encourage Dusty to do the same. Was she ready to get back out on the race course like him? It wasn't looking that way. Dusty tried to shake those thoughts from his head. He and Sky were a team, as always. Surely this Soul Connect thing wouldn't get between them.

The orange and white plane soon settled down to sleep. Sky pretended to do the same, but once she heard Dusty begin to snore softly she quietly crawled over to the door. The hanger doors squeaked a bit as she pushed them open, but Dusty remained asleep and Sky slipped out. She was still barefoot, dressed only in yoga pants and a T-shirt for pajamas, but she ignored it as she walked out towards Blade. She didn't know how he'd react to seeing her, but she didn't care. She wanted to _know_ Blade. Their connection was a real, legit thing, and she couldn't just let their relationship stand as it did now.

Sky slowed as she came closer to Blade, trying to not get too close to his personal space. She came up to stand next to Blade's nose, his eyes flicking over to stare at her.

"Hey Blade." Sky greeted in a soft voice.

"Hey Raven." Blade's voice sounded funny. He clenched his jaw, an action Sky recognized from the number of times she did the same thing to help hold back tears. Sky sat down, crossing her legs and staring out at the forest below. A lightning bolt pierced the air, and thunder grumbled in the clouds. Sky and Blade sat in silence for a moment before she heard the sound of tires on rock, and Blade's nose came closer to her shoulder. Sky bit her lip, scooting a little closer to Blade. But she heard him reverse several inches, shying away from her.

 _No. That's not how we're doing things._ Sky was used to being an up-front, very to-the-point person. She learned from Skipper that you can't keep your feelings bottled up; and sometimes, you had to force someone to talk to get them to admit when something's wrong. She knew this from experience. But this time, she had an urge to be gentle as she stood and came closer to Blade. The AgustaWestland stared at her, his eyes emotionless. Sky sighed softly. "Blade, I want to know what happened to your friend, Nick Loopin' Lopez." She waited for Blade's response, but he only kept staring at her.

 _So she does know._ Blade thought.

"Will you let me look into your memories?" Sky asked.

Blade hesitated only slightly. He nodded, allowing Sky to come up to him and reach her hand out. She, too, only hesitated slightly before placing her hand on Blade's nose. Their Soul Connection activated instantly, and their eyes changed from blue-green and icy blue to snow-white.

* * *

 _Instead of seeing everything from Blade's eyes, Sky found she stood right next to the red and white helicopter as they watched a seen unfold before them. Blade and Nick, in their_ CHoPs _paintjobs, stood with a small army of vehicles and humans who could only be the rest of the cast and crew for the show. Their surroundings didn't look like a typical studio set as Sky expected; in fact, she realized with surprise, they were in the forests of Piston Peak National Park, near the cliffs of the park's namesake landmark._

" _Okay, people!" the director called. "Last shot of the day! We don't get this done today we don't get it done at all! Now, chop-chop! This special episode isn't gonna finish itself!"_

" _You think he knows how many times he's said that?" Blade whispered to his co-star._

" _I told ya, he's going senile." Nick snickered._

" _I heard that, Lopez!" the director snapped, only making Nick and Blade laugh. The car rolled his eyes, looking quite stressed out. "Just get up there and do your loop a few times so we can get some shots done."_

" _Sir yes sir!" Nick said, laughing. "Watch and learn, Blade."_

" _Learn what? How to be a showoff?" Blade smirked._

 _Nick rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Oh ha-ha, so funny."_

" _Just go do what you do best." Blade encouraged. "We're all tired and we're waiting on you."_

" _I'm going, I'm going!" Nick laughed, starting up his rotors and flying up into the air._

 _Sky looked to the Blade standing beside her, but the helicopter only stared off into space. Sky looked back to_ CHoPS _Blade, the blue-and-white helicopter smiling broadly as he watched his friend take off._ They really were close. What could've happened? Why did Blade decide to show me _this_ memory?

 _Nick flew up higher, positioning himself to be in the same shot as the cliffs for a better angle. But he paused, hovering in the air. The director sighed, speaking into the radio beside him. "What's the holdup, Lopez?"_

"Just getting a little windy up here." _Nick's voice said over the radio._ "You _did_ check the weather forecast for today, right?"

" _A little wind has never stopped you before." The director droned. "Just do the loop and we'll be done for the day."_

"Yeah, but…." _Nick seemed a little nervous._ "Well, all right. Just give me a minute to set myself up."

" _You sure, partner?" Blade asked, sounding a bit worried._

"Yeah, it'll be fine!" _Nick assured._ "I've done this loop in worse before. I'll do it real quick and we'll leave."

" _Nick, remember the last time you did a loop without checking for the wind?" Blade asked. "That gust blew you right into a tree!"_

" _Blade, it's fine." The director half-snapped, looking irritated. "He's done the loop before he can do it again."_

" _Are you a helicopter?" Blade frowned. "Then don't talk like you know how to fly."_

"Hey, take it easy, _hermano_." _Nick said._ "I got this."

 _Blade looked a little concerned, but nodded. "Okay. But wait until the winds calm and then do the loop. And only do it once or twice." He ignored the director's groans. "Just do a quick run and we'll go to that café in the lodge to check out the pretty baristas. What do you say?"_

"Ha-ha!" _Nick laughed._ "Now you're talking!"

 _Sky felt a sense of foreboding, similarly to when she looked into Skipper's memories of Glendal Canal._ Don't do it. Please don't do it. _She couldn't explain why she prayed like this, even when knowing she couldn't stop what already happened._

 _Nick hovered in place until the winds calmed, and he began his signature inside loop. Then, quite suddenly, Nick veered off course and began spiraling in the air. Blade's eyes widened. "Nick! Nick, what happened?"_

"Cr-crosswind!" _Nick called into the radio, struggling in the air._ "I can't control—" _He couldn't finish as he suddenly slammed his landing skids into the side of the cliff. He dug his landing gear into the rock, desperately trying to stop his fall and get back into the air. But he ended up sliding down the cliff face and his skids hit a large rock. Blade's eyes widened in horror as Nick's rotors hit the rocks, getting sheared off in seconds. The smaller helicopter began tumbling, down the side of the cliff and into the trees._

" _NICK!"_ _Blade screamed, starting up his rotors and flying after his friend. Sky blinked, and suddenly found herself at the sight of Nick's crash. The smaller helicopter was thoroughly beaten from his fall, even when he managed to land on his skids. His main rotor blades all snapped in half, his body crumpled without a smooth surface, his green visor cracked badly, and one of his landing skis sheared clean off. He coughed up hydraulic fluid and oil, more of it trickling down his flank from the tree branch stabbed into his side. Blade was there, staring in horror._

" _Holy Chrysler….." Blade gasped. "Nick?"_

" _Bl-Blade….." Nick gasped, like he couldn't get a proper breath. Sky could only guess he popped a lung or something. "I….I can't…..see….."_

" _Th-that's just your visor, partner." Blade said hurriedly, trying and failing to stay calm. He gently pushed the green visor away from Nick's windshield, revealing his eyes to be a warm amber color. "There. Better?"_

 _Nick cracked a smile. "Yeah…." He coughed again, harshly._

" _Nick! Nick, stay with me. Don't die." Blade was borderline hyperventilating now. "Okay…okay…..uh…oh Ford what do I do? Uh….." He looked all around, finally spying one of the smaller helicopters holding a camera in the air. "Hey! Go get help!" The small helicopter nodded, turning and flying off. "Okay, you're okay, partner. W-we'll get you fixed up." Blade still stared at Nick, terror in his eyes._

" _Blade….." Nick whimpered a bit. "…..don't…..don't leave…don't leave me…."_

" _No, no, no, no." Blade gave his friend a gentle nuzzle. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. You're going to be fine."_

" _I should've…..waited…" Nick coughed, his eyes beginning to shut._

" _No, don't close your eyes!" Blade gave Nick a small shove, forcing the smaller helicopter to wince a bit in pain. "Don't close your eyes. You'll be fine. I'm right here, nothing's gonna happen to you."_

 _Nick stared at Blade, amber locked onto ice blue. Nick smiled softly. "Thanks….partner…" His eyes fluttered shut._

" _No, Nick!" Blade gave the smaller helicopter a shove. "Hey! Keep your eyes open!" But Nick had gone still, no longer breathing. Blade was hyperventilating again, tears running down his nose. "Nick…..no, please…please wake up….NICK!"_

* * *

Sky broke the connection, panting a bit. She stared at Blade, who had tears in his eyes no matter how hard he tried to keep them back. Sky stared at him, horrified by what she saw.

"I….I didn't…know what to do….." Blade whispered.

Sky finally understood. She looked down, sighing a bit. "Interesting. It would seem I'm attracted to the broken. I guess it's because I'm broken too."

Blade scoffed, looking away from her. "What do you know about being broken?"

Sky gently put her hand back on Blade's nose, rubbing the metal with her thumb. He jerked a bit in surprise, staring up at the raven-haired girl. She sighed through her nose. "I used to think being a psych-man was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. My parents thought so; that's why they abandoned me. But over time, I realized how wonderful it is to have my gifts. If I didn't have them, I wouldn't have met nor understood the family and friends I have now. And I'm so thankful that I have the family I have now, because I hated that feeling of being alone all the time." She moved to stand beside Blade, resting her head against his side. "I'm happy to have found a Soul Connect partner who's broken like me. Because you're not alone, Blade. I'll be there for you if you need to talk to someone or if you just need someone to be there. I'm not going to leave you alone with your pain. You don't deserve that."

Blade didn't respond for a moment. His tears seemed to increase, and he could hear the faint _plip_ of Sky's own tears dripping to the ground. He finally sighed heavily, leaning into the girl's touch. "You can't replace him….he was my best friend….but….I wouldn't…..mind the company…."

Sky smiled, nuzzling her head against the helicopter's side. "Good news: I'm not trying to be Nick. Nobody could ever replace him."

Blade struggled to keep his breathing steady, but he found comfort in Sky's presence. The two only had the one week to get to know each other, and only found they had this connection that day. But somehow, a bond had formed between the two of them. Neither one of them were willing to let that go.

 _Misery enjoys company._ Sky thought. _But it's the strong who find comfort._

 _I won't lose this one._ Blade promised himself.

* * *

 **A/N: I know some of you might question why I put Nick's death at Piston Peak. I figured Blade needed some sort of connection with the park to encourage him to go there after certification. A bit more information about that will come!**


	55. PFAR: First Fire

Chapter Nine: First Fire

Sky ended up staying with Blade for most of the night, the two sitting in silent comfort as they watched the lightning storm come through. She dozed off who-knows-when, and when she woke up she was in Maru's garage. The tug reported that Blade had him bring her back here to rest, but gave no indication he knew about their conversation last night. Sky shrugged it off, spending the rest of the morning with the Air Attack team.

Then, the siren went off.

As Patch made her announcement, Blade lowered himself onto the base runway. Windlifter, Dusty, Sky, and Dipper came up to meet him. "Lightning storm started a whole slew of spot fires and they've merged. This is a big one."

 _If that first fire Dusty and I saw was normal, what is a "big one" going to look like?_ Sky wondered.

"Skylar, you're with me." Blade said.

"You got it!" Sky said excitedly, almost not noticing Blade call her by her actual name.

"Dipper, you and Windlifter load up." Blade ordered. "Champ, wait in the hanger."

"What?" Dusty asked, disappointed. Sky paused as she was about to jump into Blade's hoist hatch.

"Blade, Dusty's been practicing so hard." Dipper protested.

"This ain't no campfire." Blade growled.

"Come on, I can do this!" Dusty insisted.

"You're not certified." Blade snapped.

"Neither am I." Sky pointed out.

"You're not the one dropping retardant." Blade countered.

"Just give him a shot." Dipper practically pleaded.

Blade cast her a glare. "He's not certified!"

"We need every plane we've got." Windlifter finally said. Blade regarded the larger helicopter for a moment before turning his gaze to Dusty as the racer approached.

"I want to help." Dusty said firmly.

Sky looked to Blade. The helicopter stared at Dusty as he started up his rotors, turning to fly off. "Raven, in the hatch. Maru!"

"Yeah, Blade?" Maru asked.

"Load him up!" Blade ordered, flying off with Sky in tow.

* * *

Finally, Sky and Dusty understood what a "big one" meant. This fire was much larger than their first fire, almost twice the size. Immediately, everyone got to work. Blade kept his hoist hatch open enough for Sky to lean out, scanning the area and keeping tabs on everyone. So far, everything seemed to be all right. The Smokejumpers did their jobs, the aircraft did theirs. But the fire wasn't going out as quickly as she had hoped.

 _I wonder if Mayday ever had to deal with fires this big._ Sky thought. She kept her radio on, listening through the stations.

"Dipper, move into position." Blade ordered. "Split load. Coverage level eight."

" _Dipper copies!"_ Dipper reported, dropping her load of retardant around the fire.

"Come left one wingspan on your next drop." Blade said. "Champ, tag on and extend. Split load."

" _Copy that."_ Dusty said, moving in for a drop. Unfortunately, he didn't fly low enough and his retardant blew away in the wind.

"Too high!" Blade barked. "It all dispersed! Windlifter, finish off that ridge."

" _Windlifter copies."_ The Skycrane said.

"Come on, Dusty." Sky sighed. _All right, just keep your head on. It's our first fire, after all._ She resumed her lookout, but movement below caught her eye. At first, she assumed it animals trying to escape the fire. Well, they were animals, if you counted the wild threesome of Blackout, Avalanche, and Drip. "Blade, Smokejumpers are on the move."

"Copy that." Blade said.

" _Blade!"_ Dynamite suddenly called into the radio. _"The wind shifted. The fire jumped the line."_

"Can you make it to your safety zone?" Blade asked.

" _No, our escape route is blocked!"_ Dynamite said. _"We need a drop."_

"Copy that." Blade said.

Sky caught sight of the Smokejumpers, a large, burning tree right in their path. "Blade, Smokejumpers at twelve."

" _I see them!"_ Dusty suddenly said, diving down. _"I've got it!"_

"Dusty, wait!" Sky called, watching the orange and white plane shoot towards the Smokejumpers' position. Then, Sky smiled at the sight of Dusty perfectly dropping his retardant and snuffing out the flames around the Jumpers (while also staining the vehicles bright red). But they were clear and could get away with ease.

"Champ, load and return." Blade ordered. "We still got a lot of work to do."

" _Copy that!"_ Dusty turned and hurried back to base.

"Raven, I'm gonna drop you off with the Smokejumpers." Blade instructed. "Do what you can to keep the fire away from their safety zone."

"I thought you said I wasn't supposed to drop retardant." Sky said.

"The fire also wasn't supposed to jump the line." Blade countered, flying after the Smokejumpers. "You gotta learn to be flexible."

"Right. Copy that." Sky nodded, grabbing the hoist. Blade opened the door wider and Sky swung out, the cable lengthening out to lower her down to the ground. Her feet hit the ground, her still-healing ankle throbbing a bit, and she unclipped the hoist from her harness. Blade flew off, and Sky hurried over to the Smokejumpers. The vehicles rested on a small, sandy area next to the lake, the fire coming closer to their area.

"Just stay near the lake, Skylar." Dynamite said, her voice fully serious. "Not much we can do now until it burns over."

"Got it." Sky nodded. She unloaded her fire extinguisher and blew retardant on the trees to keep the fire at bay. Then, she moved to stand amongst the Smokejumpers and watch the fire rage on. It was a little scary, seeing the flames so close to them. But Sky put on a brave face and continued to blow retardant, despite her heart racing.

Then, a tree began falling from the fire and straight towards them. "Drip, move!" Sky shouted, running towards the digger. She jumped up, ricocheting off the Smokejumper's head and kicking off the falling tree. It didn't move very far, but it shifted direction just enough for Drip to narrowly avoid it. Sky landed a little hard on the tree, slipping and hitting the sand.

"You okay?" Drip asked, helping the girl up.

"I'm fine." Sky nodded.

"Nice moves, Raven!" Pinecone complimented.

"SHE'S A KARATE KID!" Avalanche cheered, causing everyone to laugh.

" _What's going on down there?"_ Blade's voice demanded over their radios.

"No worries, Blade." Dynamite assured. "But Drip owes Raven his life."

Sky laughed. "We're all good, Blade."

" _Good."_ Blade said.

Sky smiled as the helicopter passed over them. _I'm doing it. I'm really doing it. So_ this _is what being a firefighter is about. I hardly even thought about doing that. I just….did it…_ Sky sighed softly. _Max, are you watching me? Am I doing okay?_

* * *

It literally took all day to get the fire under control and fully contained. By the time everyone got back, they were all pretty dirty and Sky had sweat dripping from her forehead. She sighed tiredly, but felt proud of the work they did. More than that, she was proud of Dusty. He did something right after some shaky training. But, based on Blade's glare as they walked up to said racer, something wasn't right.

Dusty and Dipper were talking, the latter looking rather proud of himself. "I saw the Jumpers in trouble, so I —"

"You broke formation in a crowded airspace." Blade chided, a stern glare in his eyes. "Could've been _you_ spread all over the woods instead of retardant." He drove off, no doubt to hose down like the others would soon do.

"Sky?" Dusty looked to the human.

"Dusty, you did a great thing by helping the Smokejumpers." Sky reasoned. "But Blade's got a point; we're already putting ourselves in danger by fighting fires. We can't afford any more unnecessary risks."

Dusty slumped down a bit. "Ah, man."

"Come on, Blade's just telling you 'Good job' in his own way." Dipper said encouragingly. Dusty cast her a look. The sound of loud engines rang out, and they all looked up to see a jet passing over the base. "Whoa! That was low!"

"Cad's VIPs." Windlifter realized.

"He's having a big party up at the lodge tonight." Dusty remembered. "We should go!"

"Why not? Could be fun." Sky mused. "I guess I better go hose off. Meet you guys on the runway when it's time to go?"

"Sure thing, Sky." Dusty nodded. Sky waved and hurried off to the shower areas. The smallest stall was the one Dynamite and Pinecone used, so it would have to do. Sky allowed the cool water to run over her, washing away the grime from the day, and toweled off before redressing in her jeans, sneakers, and Jolly Wrench T-shirt. She tied her hair back with her bandana, like she usually did. By the time she got out, most of the base went quiet as everyone relaxed after the fire.

Sky jogged up to Blade's hanger, knocking on the doors. "Hey Blade!"

The doors opened and Blade smiled a bit at the sight of Sky. "Evening."

"Hey." Sky greeted warmly. "A bunch of us are going down to the party at the lodge tonight. You wanna come?"

Blade's face fell into a frown. "If I had to choose between going to that lodge and diving headfirst into an inferno to my fiery death, I'd take the inferno."

Sky laughed out loud. "A simple 'no' would've sufficed."

"I couldn't just say 'no.' I had to emphasize just how much I _don't_ want to be near that lodge." Blade reasoned, a smirk on his face.

Sky rolled her eyes. "Whatever. So then what are you going to do for the rest of the evening?"

"Sleep, maybe." Blade said dismissively. "Paperwork. Boring stuff."

"Yeesh." Sky chuckled. "Need any help?"

"I thought you were going down to the lodge." Blade noted.

"Yeah, but I don't want to leave you up here by your lonesome." Sky shrugged. "Sounds like you got a lonely night ahead of you."

"I've spent quite a few 'lonely' nights up here in the past." Blade assured. "I can go through one more. Besides, with the Smokejumpers out, it's going to be nice and quiet."

"You sure?" Sky asked.

"You go have fun." Blade encouraged. "I'm sure you'll enjoy that place more than I will."

Sky laughed, patting Blade's nose. "All right. G'night!"

"Night." Blade nodded, disappearing back into his hanger. Sky had a bit of a skip in her step as she walked off. She didn't notice Dusty as the racer watched from his hiding spot, glaring a bit in irritation.

 _What, is she asking for permission just to be with her friends?_ Dusty sighed a bit before rolling out to join the group heading to the lodge. _Man. One lousy Soul Connect comes along and suddenly it's like nothing else matters anymore._


	56. PFAR: Connections Made and Lost

Chapter Ten: Connections Made and Lost

The Fusel Lodge was all aglow for the party, bustling with people. Dusty, Sky, Maru, Dipper, and Windlifter approached the lodge entrance and were greeted not just by a couple attendants but by the magnificence of the lodge's interior. Jerk Cad may be, he actually did a great job decorating the place. Sky wondered if this really is what the lodge looked like when it was first built.

"Whoa!" Dusty breathed. "Look at this place!"

Sky heard a whirring sound and looked behind them to see a couple humans and several small vacuums cleaning up the dust and dirt the firefighters left in their wake. _Geez, for a park they sure are clean around here._ "Well, the place looks nice." Sky shrugged. "Let's see if their drinks taste as good."

"I'll come with ya." Maru offered. "I need a coffee."

"Bye Dusty! Bye Dipper! Enjoy your date!" Sky said as she, Maru, and Windlifter moved away.

If possible, Dusty would've paled. "Sky!"

Sky snickered, leaving poor Dusty alone with Dipper. "He'll be fine. The girls fawn over him all the time during races."

"What about you?" Maru asked. "Any guys hit on ya?"

"All the time." Sky shrugged. "And then I _hit_ on them." She punched her palm to make her point, and Maru laughed.

"I like ya, kid!" Maru said. "You're my kinda gal."

Sky laughed, then paused at the sound of a train whistle. Curious, she wandered towards the sound, Maru and Windlifter following. Sky tried to stand on her tiptoes, but could barely see over Cad and the small army of lodge staff waiting for Muir the train to come in. Maru suddenly scooped Sky up, lifting her so she could better see what was going on. Sky spotted mostly just more campers coming into the lodge, but one vehicle caught her sight: a forest green Ford Bronco-like car with an official-looking logo printed on his sides.

Cad immediately approached the green car. "Welcome, Mr. Secretary, to the grand reopening weekend of the magnificent—"

"It's a pleasure to be here, Spinner." The green car said, driving off towards the lodge entrance. Cad hurriedly followed him.

"Secretary of the Interior?" Sky asked as Maru lowered her down.

"I guess." Maru shrugged. "Now come on. I wanna see if they've got a place to buy some Joe." Sky nodded and followed Maru and Windlifter off deeper into the lodge.

 _Sleazy jerk Cad may be, this place is actually kind of awesome._ Sky noted as they discovered a small café called the "Piston Perk." _Although I have to wonder if this was such a great use of firefighter budget._

Maru scoffed as he and Sky made their way over to Windlifter. "Don't even have normal coffee here. I had to get something called a 'Highway Expresso.'"

"I told you. Should've gone with the hot chocolate." Sky said, holding up her cup of said drink. Maru scoffed again.

"What do you think?" Windlifter asked, the Skycrane wearing a pair of tinted sunglasses.

"You look good." Maru complimented.

"Yeah." Sky agreed.

Windlifter paused in thought. "Eh."

Sky looked around the stand of sunglasses and found a pair identical to Windlifter's only human-sized. She put them on, putting on her toughest stance. "How about now?"

Maru laughed, and even Windlifter cracked a smile. "Lookin' good, kid! I wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley."

Sky laughed, putting the glasses back on the stand. "You better not meet me in a dark alley." She laughed again.

Maru stared at the girl for a moment, then grinned. "Wow. You got a really nice smile."

Sky's cheeks turned red. "Thanks. Yours is nice too, but whenever you smile it seems like you're about to do something evil."

Maru put on his best devious grin. "Muah-ha-ha!" He laughed, Sky joining in. "But seriously, I like that smile of yours."

"Why the sudden fascination with my smile?" Sky asked.

"I've realized why you and Blade get along so well." Maru said. "You two are both so serious about your work and your dedication is quite admirable. But unlike Blade, you know when it's time to let loose and have fun. That smile of yours makes everyone else smile too."

Sky looked down. She rubbed her hot chocolate cup with her thumb before taking a few gulps of the drink.

Windlifter caught her sudden change in demeanor. "Are you all right?"

Sky sighed. "I'm still not used to hearing stuff like that except from my dad."

"He nice?" Maru asked.

"Very." Sky nodded. "He and his friend Sparky adopted me when I was a little kid."

"You're an orphan?" Windlifter asked, both he and Maru looking surprised.

"Yeah." Sky shrugged. "My parents abandoned me because I'm a psych-man. They didn't like what I was. But Skipper and Sparky took me in and everything's good."

"You sure?" Maru asked worriedly. He felt both awed and confused by Sky's tone. She made abandonment sound about as impactful as scraping a knee.

Sky giggled. "Don't worry, I've long since gotten used to it and I don't hate my powers anymore. Although lately it seems like I keep telling my story more often." Her face fell a little. "Sparky says sometimes I get relapses of PTSD from my days when I was in the orphanage. There are times when I get so angry at the thought of who I once was. I may have come to terms with how my life used to be, but that doesn't mean I like to think about it."

"Your parents?" Windlifter asked.

"Yes and no. Just me." Sky said. "I used to be such a jerk. I hated everything and everyone around me and I refused to let anyone into my heart. My worst fear is going back to that little girl I used to be. It caused me to be alone for six years until I could finally be adopted by somebody who was just as stubborn as I was."

"Hey, it's okay." Maru assured. "Just from what we've seen since you came here, it's clear you're nothing like who you used to be. But I don't want to see you angry; I bet you'd bounce back to that real quick."

Sky smirked. She couldn't deny that. If she got angry, it was best for everyone to just stay out of her way. "Yeah. Just keep Cad away from me." She paused. "Or, if you really want to get rid of him, put him near me."

Maru laughed. "That's our Lil' Raven!"

"Hey guys!" Dusty called as he rolled over to them. "We just met a nice couple celebrating their anniversary. We're gonna go out of the fire pit and celebrate. Wanna come?"

"Sure!" Sky nodded.

"Yeah, let's go!" Maru agreed. "It's getting stuffy in here."

Sky hopped up onto Dusty's wing, sitting down and sipping her hot chocolate. "You just missed it." Dusty said with a smirk. "Some fan came up to me and asked me to do his voicemail."

Sky laughed. "Really? Did you screw up?"

"Nah." Dusty laughed. "He seemed a little disappointed to not see you, though."

"Oh really?" Sky smirked, giggling.

Dusty smiled warmly. _There's the Sky I remember. Right with me, as usual._

* * *

Unfortunately for Dusty, Sky decided to sit between Windlifter and Maru at one of the fire pits. But she was close enough to him, so he found he could relax and chat with everyone, including their new friends Harvey and Winnie. Apparently, Harvey had worked several different jobs before meeting his wife in RV tire sales. Now, they were celebrating their wedding anniversary at the park.

"You know, Dusty and Skylar, maybe this firefighting thing will be a second career for you." Harvey said.

"Well, it's a second career for most everyone at the base." Dipper nodded. "Windlifter was a lumberjack, Cabbie was in the military, and I hauled cargo up in Anchorage."

"I suppose this really would be a second career for us, eh Dusty?" Sky said. Dusty nodded in agreement. It's not like they were becoming firefighters for the heck of it. Who said they couldn't do both racing and firefighting?

"Hey, big whirlybird, you haven't said much." Harvey said to Windlifter. "How about a toast?"

"Uh, Windlifter's not really much for speeches." Dipper protested politely. She quieted when Windlifter began chanting in his native language, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"A toast to Coyote." Windlifter said. "It was he who drove all day and all night to the base of Bright Mountain. With much difficulty, he climbed the mountain to obtain fire and brought it down to the first people. But in so doing, he burned his tires. And when Coyote saw his blackened tires, he thought they were his favorite snack, and he ate them! For he knew they were still full of life. And it was in this way, he let go of the old, and renewed himself like fire renews the earth."

Stunned silence met the end of Windlifter's speech. "Uh, I'm just gonna say it." Dusty finally piped up. "You had me up until the part where he eats his own tires."

Maru chuckled. "Best toast ever, Wind. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone called.

"That's better than other versions I've heard." Sky said. "Some depict Coyote as a human who ate his shoes."

"I've been meaning to ask, Skylar, are you really a psyche human?" Winnie asked excitedly.

"That's right." Sky nodded.

"Amazing!" Winnie breathed. "You know, I knew a psych-man woman once who raced in the European Circuit with a Formula One. Quite incredible."

"That's like what me and Sky do when we race." Dusty piped up excitedly. "She's my co-pilot."

"Yeah, because I'm the sensible one who tries to keep us from getting killed." Sky said sassily.

"So can you make that connection with any vehicle?" Harvey asked.

"That's right." Sky confirmed. "Some of the connections I make are stronger than others. Recently, I just found my Soul Connect partner."

"Really? Is that a good thing?" Harvey asked.

"It's amazing!" Sky nodded happily. "Soul Connections can only happen between a specific pair of psych-man and vehicle."

"Well I'll bet you and your partner are gonna be good friends, huh?" Harvey guessed.

"I certainly hope so." Sky nodded. _In fact, I know Blade and I are going to be good friends. I can feel it._

* * *

It was quite late when everyone made their way back to base. They were all tired and ready for bed, but they found they actually enjoyed themselves. Most of it was owed to chatting with Harvey and Winnie (and not running into Cad, save for Dusty).

"Goodnight, guys!" Sky waved as everyone broke off to their respective hangers. Everyone else bid her goodnight before disappearing.

"Hey Sky?" Dusty piped up. "Can we talk?"

Sky blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Yeah, sure." She and Dusty moved out to the runway, away from prying eyes and ears. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"It's about this Soul Connect thing." Dusty said. "I know it's exciting and all, but don't you think you're taking it a little far?"

"What do you mean?" Sky asked, not liking where this conversation was going.

"I mean, you already spend time with Blade when we're fighting fires and training. Do you _really_ have to hang out with him during the down time?" Dusty asked.

"Dusty, we're Soul Connect partners." Sky said.

"Yeah, I know." Dusty rolled his eyes a bit. "Big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal." Sky said. "A Soul Connection is something every psyche human dreams of."

"Well about our connection?" Dusty demanded. "The connection we make when we're racing. That's a lot more legit than a connection you made just yesterday."

"How so?" Sky snapped.

"We've worked on it longer!" Dusty said.

"Yeah? And how strong is it really compared to the Soul Connect?" Sky scoffed. "Why am I even talking to you about it? It's a psych-man thing; you wouldn't understand."

"You're right. I don't understand." Dusty snapped. "I don't understand how you can take everything we worked for and throw it away for someone like Blade."

"Someone like Blade?" Sky scoffed. "Oh, I get it now. You're jealous!"

"I am not!" Dusty protested. "I just think you need to get your priorities straight."

"Like it or not, Dusty, there are things I can do with the Soul Connect that I can't do with my connection to you."

"Like what?"

"Like be a firefighter!"

"You're not serious."

"I'm dead serious."

"I can be a firefighter too! What do you think I'm doing out here?"

Sky's glared hardened. "I'm not really sure."

"What's that's supposed to mean?" Dusty growled.

"You're not fully committing to your training, Dusty." Sky growled. "It's not just about the gearbox anymore, which, by the way, is going to be replaced soon anyway. You don't put forth your full effort, you don't trust anyone else's judgement, and you seriously have a problem with not following Blade's orders."

"You know, you're starting to sound just like Blade." Dusty noted bitterly.

"Good." Sky scowled. "Maybe you'll actually listen to me." She sighed in frustration. "You didn't have to come out here and be a firefighter, you know. I could've handled it all by myself."

"It was _my_ fault that fire started and got Propwash shut down." Dusty protested.

"And it was _my_ fault for ticking off the dumb TMST agent." Sky countered. "You could've just stayed home and waited for your gearbox to come in. But instead you had to play hero!"

"I want to become a firefighter to help Mayday." Dusty said firmly. "I owe it to him!"

"So do I!" Sky snapped. "I want to help the town, _my home_. I want to do something for Mayday after he pretty much saved my life. I want to show people that I am more than just your 'pilot.'"

"Who thinks you're just my pilot?" Dusty demanded.

"Everybody, Dusty!" Sky snapped. "Come on, you think _anyone_ really believes that we work together as a team? Everybody looks at us and sees me as the human girl riding the coattails of _your_ success!"

"It's always been _our_ success!" Dusty protested. "We work as a team, that's how our connection works."

"Oh come on!" Sky scoffed. "You really think our connection means anything? You really think it's so strong?"

"Compared to what?" Dusty retorted. "Your precious little Soul Connection? You know, if you and Blade get along so well, maybe you should just stay here permanently!"

"Do you have any idea how stupid you sound?" Sky snapped. "Why do you care so much about this? What is it about this that makes you so…..so…irate?"

"You're putting this stupid Soul Connect before our friendship." Dusty growled. "Friends don't do that to each other."

"Friends also support each other when something amazing happens." Sky countered. "I stayed with you during the Wings Around the Globe. I didn't give up when we were lost over the Pacific and I almost died trying to keep you alive! The least you could do is actually be happy for me because of this amazing thing I've found!"

"A friendship with the most irritating guy on the planet?" Dusty scoffed. "I swear, you're the most unreasonable, unpredictable, idiotic girl I've ever met!"

 _BAM!_

Dusty shouted in pain as Sky's foot connected with his nose, nearly knocking his propeller clean off. He stared at her in shock, but then glared to match her furious look. He refused to back down, even when Sky stepped up _very_ close to him. Ocean blue remained locked onto blue-green.

"Go home, Dusty." Sky spoke in a soft voice, only amplifying the magnitude of her anger. "Go back to Propwash Junction and wait for your new gearbox. I'll stay here and get certified. And when I get back, I'm going to be Propwash Junction's second firefighter. Which will give me no time for anything else."

"What?" Dusty asked, still glaring even when he sounded shocked.

"Go back to being a racer, Dusty." Sky ordered. "Because from now on, you're on your own."

Dusty's glare shifted to one of surprise. She was quitting. Sky was quitting their racing. Dusty felt a part of him want to apologize, to beg Sky to reconsider, but his anger trumped out those thoughts. "Fine. At least now I can race without the _extra weight!_ "

Sky's eyes blazed with lividness. But she only let out a frustrated growl as she turned on her heel and stomped off. Dusty turned and made his way to his hanger, muttering angrily.

* * *

 **A/N: I know, I know, I just broke up an amazing duo. Excuse me while I hide from the angry mob that will soon descend on me until they see the next chapter.**

 **Hope you liked this one, even with the ending!**


	57. PFAR: Heart to Engine Talk

Chapter Eleven: Heart to Engine Talk

Blade begrudgingly discovered sleep decided to evade him that night. He had hoped to go to bed early so he could rise at dawn for spot fire scouting. He finished the paperwork quickly, but when he tried to settle down for sleep, he ended up staring off into space wide awake and alert. For some reason, he felt something calling him outside. He opened his hanger doors, peering out and hoping he didn't see smoke. The entire base long since went quiet and dark, indicating everyone else already retired to bed.

Except one.

Blade blinked in surprise to see a lone figure on the ledge he liked to sit out on. Based on the size, it could only be Sky. Curious, Blade rolled out and quietly approached the nineteen-year-old. As he got closer, he realized she was singing softly under her breath. Sky didn't seem to notice him coming up behind her.

After a moment, Sky realized someone was behind her. She turned and a small smile appeared on her face. "Hey Blade."

"Good evening." Blade greeted, rolling up to stop beside her. "Didn't know you could sing."

Sky shrugged. "I always used music to help me get through whatever I was going through or if I was just happy about something. It's the best way I know how to express myself."

"Not a bad way to go." Blade said. "And you have a nice voice, so that's a bonus." Sky blushed a bit. Blade smirked. "What are you doing out here anyway? Shouldn't you be asleep in the hanger?"

Sky frowned, crossing her arms. "Dusty and I are not on speaking terms at the moment." She announced bitterly. "I refuse to be in the same hanger as him."

Blade blinked in surprise. "What could've caused that?"

Sky paused. "We just got into this huge argument. He doesn't like that I can Soul Connect and he thinks I don't care about our friendship. Well what about him? He's not exactly being a very good friend either."

"That happens sometimes." Blade said. "Everyone fights now and then. The fights that destroy friendships are the ones that weren't talked about."

Sky blinked, looking to Blade. "What do you mean?"

Blade glanced to her before looking out to the forest below them. "Nick and I got into a few arguments when we knew each other. I remember once he snuck into my hanger and swiped my search and rescue helicopter figurine. It was a toy I got from my grandfather. It wasn't the first time Nick stole something of mine just to mess with me; we did it to each other all the time. But that figurine was special; my grandfather actually _was_ a search and rescue copter, and we spent a lot of time together before he died. When I finally found Nick and got the figurine back, boy was I mad. We started yelling at each other, and finally I told him I didn't want to see him again."

Sky stared, surprised. "All that over a toy?"

"It was the only thing I had left to remember my grandfather." Blade said. "It was special to me. But when I started to think about it, I realized I never actually told Nick how important it was. Nick and I knew to respect each other's special items; he had a Day of the Dead decoration he wouldn't let _anyone_ touch because he made it himself as a kid. He told me about that because I asked. I guess he thought the toy was just something I used for a decoration. He didn't know it was so important. When I realized that, I went back to talk to him. We apologized to each other, and we moved on like the fight never happened."

Sky looked out to the landscape below, silent for a moment. "So what's your point?" She already knew the answer.

"My point is no argument should ruin a friendship." Blade said. "Anger clouds judgement; it makes people say things they might not actually feel, or it reveals someone's true feelings in ugly ways."

Sky didn't speak, remembering something Sparky once told her. _People say things when they're angry. Unfortunately, most of what they say is usually what they really feel. Other times, they're just speaking without thinking. You need to think long and hard about what you meant to say and what you actually meant._

"It can't be helped if this Soul Connection is stronger than other connections you've made with your psyche human abilities." Blade said. "But that _cannot_ be your reasoning for leaving your friends behind."

"I don't want to leave him behind." Sky said in a soft voice. "I just….I just wish he was actually happy for me…" She sighed. "But you're right. I don't want to lose Dusty as my friend, and hopefully he feels the same way. I think we both need the night to cool off, though."

"Then where are you going to sleep?" Blade asked as Sky stood and brushed off her jeans.

"I dunno." Sky shrugged. "Maybe out here or in Maru's garage."

Blade rolled his eyes. "Not happening. Come on. You're sleeping in my hanger."

Sky jumped a bit. "Huh?"

"Come on." Blade nudged her with his nose, herding her towards his hanger. Sky was still surprised, but allowed the AgustaWestland to guide her along.

Dusty stared out the window of his hanger, noticing Blade and Sky disappearing into the former's hanger. He sighed heavily, blinking away his tears and settling down into uneasy sleep.

"There should be a blanket or two up on that shelf." Blade instructed, gesturing to a set of shelves against the wall. Sky found Blade's hanger quite organized: shelves against the wall, a bed in the corner, a desk with a radio, and several boxes of who-knows-what in another corner.

"Okay." Sky nodded, looking around for something to step up on.

"Here, climb up." Blade dipped his nose down.

"Really?" Sky asked nervously.

"Yes now hurry up." Blade said.

"All right." Sky shrugged. She lifted a foot up and put it up on Blade's nose. She pushed off the ground and grabbed the edge of his roof, pulling herself up.

Blade yelped in pain. "Knee in the eye."

"Hey, this was _your_ idea." Sky pointed out, pulling her legs up and moving to stand at the very top of Blade's roof. She grabbed the blankets up on the top shelf, wondering if maybe Maru put them up so high on purpose or something. "Hang on, they're kinda stuck." She gave a few yanks, but on the last tug she suddenly slipped and began falling. She hurriedly grabbed something to catch herself, which ended up being one of Blade's rotors.

The helicopter twirled the rotors to stare at Sky and raised an eye frame at the raven-haired girl. "Having fun?"

Sky laughed nervously. "Oh, just hanging around."

Blade barked a laugh, smirking. "I suppose we can chalk this up with the fire extinguisher incident."

"You have to admit that was kind of funny." Sky said.

"I'm not going to gratify that with a response. Now get down." Blade still smirked as Sky swung and jumped, landing cat-like on the floor. She picked up the fallen blanket, folding the second one and placing it on a lower shelf, and began spreading out the first one on the ground. Blade rolled over to his bed, a small mattress on the floor, and began to settle into the padding. Sky stared at him for a moment, noting a small smile still on his face.

 _Now this is the Blade I was hoping to know._ Sky realized. _A lighter, happier Blade. Still, it does beg the question…_ "Blade, why did you come here to be a firefighter? Didn't Nick die at Piston Peak?"

Blade's smile fell away, but he put on a steely gaze. "I came here _because_ this is where Nick died. I don't want _anyone_ to go through what he did."

Sky sat on the blanket, staring at the ground. "Seems a little backwards. Most people try to avoid the places that gave them bad memories."

"Cowards run and hide from their problems." Blade said. "I almost did. But I learned to move past it, and even though it still hurts, it doesn't stop me from doing my job."

Sky stared in awe, amazed by Blade's words. _Even though it still hurts…..it doesn't stop me from doing my job._ Sky lay down to sleep, curling her arm up under her head to use as a pillow. "You know, Nick was really lucky."

"Why's that?" Blade asked.

"He had an amazing person like you as his best friend." Sky said, smiling.

Blade didn't answer for a moment, but then mumbled a "Thanks." Sky smiled still as she closed her eyes, curling up and allowing sleep to overcome her. Blade stared at the girl for a moment, listening to her even breathing. He moved to the shelves and grabbed the second blanket, taking it in his teeth and dragging it across the room. He draped the wool blanket over Sky, gently nuzzling the girl's head. Sky smiled in her sleep, sighing. Blade allowed himself to smile again, returning to his bed to fall into a peaceful sleep.

 _Thanks, Sky._

* * *

 **A/N: Again, a short chapter, but in the next chapter we see a lot of action and I didn't want to overload a single chapter with it all.**

 **Until next time!**


	58. PFAR: Dusty in Trouble

Chapter Twelve: Dusty in Trouble

Sky stared at the doors to Dusty's hanger, unsure how she would go about this. She tried to rehearse what she would say on the way to the hanger, but nothing came out right. Now she stood before the doors without any idea what she would or could say to Dusty. Still, she was the daughter of Skipper Riley, and she wasn't about to turn back now. She raised her fist and knocked on the doors. Dusty jolted a bit, accidentally backing into a shelf and knocking a box onto his head. Sky winced at the commotion, listening as Dusty made his way to the doors and opened them. He blinked in surprised to see Sky standing outside.

"Sky." Dusty said, jerking the box off his canopy.

"Dusty." Sky said.

A pause.

"Uh, good morning." Sky said.

"Yeah, good morning." Dusty greeted.

Another awkward pause.

"Kinda warm this morning, huh?" Dusty said.

"Yeah." Sky shrugged.

Yet another awkward pause.

Sky sighed. "Look, Dusty—"

" _Propwash Junction to Dusty and Sky."_

"Dad?" Sky cocked her head to one side in confusion, staring at the radio. Her and Dusty's eyes widened. "The gearbox!"

Dusty hurried over to the radio, Sky right beside him. "Hey Skip! What's up?"

"Hey Dad!" Sky greeted warmly.

" _Hey there, sweetheart."_ Skipper greeted, sounding tired.

"The gearbox came in, didn't it?" Dusty asked excitedly.

"How's it look?" Sky chimed in, bouncing a bit.

There was some static before Skipper came on. _"Well, we…we…."_

Dusty's and Sky's faces fell, staring in concern at the radio. "Skipper?" Sky asked.

"What is it?" Dusty asked.

" _So…..Dust…."_ Sparky said.

" _Sparky, I'll….I'll tell them."_ Chug's voice lacked all joy, something very unusual for the fuel truck. Sky's brain raced with the reasons for this rather dismal call. Did the TMST agent return? Did another accident happen? Oh Chrysler, did Mayday die? But somehow, Chug's reveal seemed to be worse than any of those scenarios. _"It was the wrong one. The crate was mislabeled. We've called every parts supplier, repair shop, and junkyard in the country. Nobody has your gearbox."_

Words could not describe how crushed Dusty and Sky felt at that moment. Nobody….not one person in the entire country…..had another gearbox for Dusty. He was stuck with a busted gearbox. He would never be able to redline it.

He'd never get to race ever again.

" _Dusty?"_ Skipper asked, the Propwash residents having received no answer from the pair.

Dusty took in a ragged breath. "I'm here."

" _I'm sorry."_ Skipper said.

Dusty didn't answer, all his energy being put forth to keep his tears at bay. Sky stepped up, forcing a smile. "I-it's okay, Dad. You guys did your best. Way to go." She took a breath, trying to keep her voice steady. "We, uh, have to go take care of some firefighting business. We'll call you later, okay?"

A pause. _"Okay, Sky. Talk to you soon."_ Skipper said.

"Bye." Sky said. Dusty released the talk pedal, ending the call. Sky's face fell to a dejected frown, and she leaned back to rest against Dusty's wing. She sighed heavily, looking to the…former…..racer beside her. His eyes were shut, desperately trying to hold back tears. Sky reached a hand out, but hesitated. Dusty suddenly moved to lean into her touch, and Sky hugged the plane. "Dusty." She sighed. "You'll be okay. I have no idea how but we're going to get through this. I promise."

Dusty didn't answer, trying to absorb all the comfort he could get. Their fight from last night didn't even matter anymore. He didn't care about Sky's Soul Connection or his jealousy about it. All that mattered is Sky was still there for him, and he would always be there for her. Sky sighed, both dejected over the news and relieved Dusty didn't seem to hate her anymore. Any hints of leftover anger from last night washed away with the unshed tears of the racers.

The alarm going off made Sky jolt. "Oh, now what?"

"Hey guys!" Maru called as he popped up in the doorway. "Get this: Cad's fancy jet VIPs flew in too low over the burn area last night. Blew embers in all directions."

"You are kidding me." Sky groaned.

"Not kidding!" Blade called as he hovered briefly in front of the doors. "Let's load and go!"

"Let's go, Dusty!" Sky hurried to the doors, but paused when Dusty didn't follow. "Dusty?" Still, the plane didn't move. Sky hurried back to his side. "Dusty, listen. Mayday is still counting on us. W-we'll talk about this later, okay? We got a job to do."

Dusty opened his eyes, staring at Sky for a moment before nodding.

* * *

" _Fire broke containment and split in two."_ Blade explained as he, Dusty, Windlifter, and Dipper flew towards the blazes. _"Windlifter, you and Dipper take the Coil Springs fire. Me, Raven, and the SEAT will take Whitewall Rapids."_

" _Windlifter copies."_ Windlifter said.

Sky could only assume Windlifter and Dipper broke off already. Blade insisted on keeping the hoist hatch door shut for the time being, so she was left in almost complete darkness. Unable to stand it, Sky placed a hand to the metal wall behind her and focused her powers. It only took a second for her consciousness to connect with Blade's, allowing her to see through his eyes. The helicopter weaved his way through the smoke of the fire, which had grown greatly. But Sky noticed something else.

"Blade, aren't these hills near the lodge?" Sky said into the radio.

Blade looked ahead, picking up speed. Once he and Dusty made it over the crest of the ridge, he saw Sky was right: the lodge was just down the hill. _Oh great._ "Maru, come in."

" _Yeah, Blade?"_ Maru asked.

"It's worse than we thought." Blade reported. "Get on the horn down to the lodge. That fire is about four hours from their front door. They're gonna have to evacuate."

 _As if Cad will listen._ Sky thought bitterly.

She didn't realize Blade heard her thoughts. He knew, deep down, there's no way Cad would evacuate them all in time. He could only hold onto a small hope that Maru's warning would buy them some time. "If we're gonna save the lodge, we've gotta keep this fire from cresting the ridge." Blade told Sky and Dusty before turning most of his attention to the latter. "I'll drop, then you tag on and extend with a split load. That way we can double up and widen it downwind of the ridge for structure protection. There's not much time so we need to move fast. Copy that?" Dusty didn't respond. "Hey! You copy that?"

" _Yes. Yes! Copy that."_ Dusty replied.

 _Come on, Dusty. Focus._ Sky couldn't put too much blame on Dusty; he was probably still thinking about the gearbox. But this wasn't the time for that. She kept looking at everything from Blade's eyes, watching him drop his share of retardant on the fire before moving and allowing Dusty to drop his load. But, to Blade's irritation and Sky's horror, Dusty dropped his entire tank's worth of retardant.

"You gotta be kidding me." Blade growled.

"Blade…" Sky tried to calm the helicopter, but he already flew up alongside Dusty and glared at the plane.

"Was that your whole tank?" Blade demanded.

"Yeah." Dusty confirmed.

"You just wasted all of it!" Blade yelled.

"I was following your orders!" Dusty protested.

"I said 'split load.'" Blade corrected.

Dusty glared in determination. "It'll be fine. I can reload at the lake."

 _We can't afford any mistakes from him._ Blade thought, not knowing Sky could hear it this time.

"Oh boy." Sky gulped.

"Negative!" Blade snapped. "Return to base."

"No, there's no time. Let's just get this fire out!" Dusty suddenly dived down towards the lake.

"Hey!" Blade called. "You need to listen to me!" Blade muttered something under his breath along the lines of "stupid boy gonna get himself killed" and dived down after Dusty. "These crosswinds are too strong. Return to base!"

" _This is what you trained me to do!"_ Dusty protested, speaking into the radio.

"Not under these conditions!" Blade countered.

"Dusty, pull up before you hurt yourself!" Sky called worriedly into the radio.

" _If I reload here, we can get that fire out."_ Dusty was getting closer to the surface of the lake.

"Pull up!" Blade shouted. "That's an order!"

Dusty hit the surface of the lake, only for his hard landing and the crosswinds to jerk him off balance. He shouted in surprise, ending up taking a nosedive before his pontoons forced him up again. Luckily, the buoyancy of the pontoons kept him afloat.

"Dusty!" Sky broke her connection with Blade, hurrying to the small window and staring out worriedly.

" _I've taken in too much water. My engine stalled."_ Dusty reported.

"Stalled?" Blade groaned.

Sky stared out the window, her eyes widening at the side of the currents dragging Dusty into the rapids. "Oh no."

"Keep your pontoons downstream." Blade instructed as he flew over Dusty. "I'll keep ahead of you."

"I'll get out on my own." Dusty said. "I'll restart my engine."

"No, don't restart your engine!" Sky said hurriedly as Blade's hatch door opened. "The hoist will get caught."

"Just hang on." Blade called. "I'm gonna pull you to shore."

Dusty furiously revved his engine, and his propellers began spinning again. "Got it!"

Blade narrowed his eyes, hovering down closer. He threw the hoist, but Dusty hit a rock and his nose dipped below the water. His engine stalled again, and Blade's hoist didn't wrap around his tail enough to hook on. Dusty was swept away again, down a small drop as the current carried him along. The orange and white plane shouted a bit in surprise, starting to get a little freaked out over the lack of control he had in the water.

"Are you all right?" Blade called, noting the number of fallen trees hanging over the water.

"I'm okay!" Dusty confirmed.

"There's too much coverage. Don't worry! I'll get you at the next clearing." Blade called, flying ahead to find a clear spot downriver.

"Right!" Dusty coughed a bit as water splashed into his mouth.

Sky tensed up, staring worriedly at Dusty as he bobbed along the rapids. "Hang on, Dusty!"

"Sky, stay up there!" Dusty called.

"But—" Sky started.

"It's too dangerous." Blade said. "You go down there you could get caught in the debris. Just stay up there and I'll take care of it."

"Right." Sky nodded reluctantly, keeping her eyes on Dusty. Finally, Blade managed to find a clear area and readied the hoist again. Taking aim, he threw the hook and cable. Dusty's pontoon hooked onto a log in the river, forcing his front half below the water and causing the hook to bounce off him. Blade tried to move, but the cable tightened as the hook caught onto a log part of a small dam in the river.

"The hoist! It's caught!" Blade struggled to pull the hoist free, finding himself anchored to the ground.

"I got it!" Sky grabbed the hoist cable and slid down, landing a bit hard on the logs. She grabbed the hook and tried to pull it, but even when Blade gave it a little slack she couldn't free the hook. "It's stuck tight! The cable wrapped around a log!"

Dusty stared up at Blade with fear in his eyes, and suddenly the current pushed him along and away from his supposed saviors. "Sky!"

"Dusty!" Sky called, desperately trying to breaking the piece of log the hook caught onto.

"Blade!" Dusty called, fear in his tone. "Blade!"

"Oh, come on." Blade gave another tug, but the hoist was caught tight and Sky wasn't making any progress in pulling it loose. "Champ, start your engine. You got clear water ahead. Take off before the falls."

Dusty spun around and saw with horror that a significant-sized waterfall dropped off only a couple hundred yards away. _Oh Chevy._

"It's your only chance!" Blade shouted. Dusty hurriedly started up his engine, his propellers spinning. "Now redline it! Push your engine!"

Dusty pushed, as hard and as fast as he could to get his speed up. The edge of the falls grew closer.

"Redline it!" Blade shouted. "You need more lift, redline it! Redline it!"

"Dusty, just this once, redline it!" Sky called, having moved to sit on the log and start kicking at the hoist.

Dusty's alarm began blaring, and Dottie's warning about him crashing rang in his head.

"Why are you holding back?"

He only had a hundred feet left, not nearly enough time to increase power.

" _Redline it!"_

" _Dusty!"_

He was going to crash. Either way, he was going to crash.


	59. PFAR: A Hero's Sacrifice

Chapter Thirteen: A Hero's Sacrifice

Sky gave a shout of effort and slammed her foot into the log, at last breaking the piece the hook caught onto. Blade jerked forward, finally free. _"Go!"_ Sky screamed, and Blade shot off after Dusty. Sky scrambled off the logs, slipping a bit but managing to make it to dry land. She stared after Blade, watching in horror as Dusty suddenly went over the edge and disappeared. She held her breath. Then, Blade threw the hoist and the cable tightened, indicating a catch. Sky sighed heavily in relief, starting to move forward. But she gasped as pain shot up her leg, and she looked down towards her ankle brace. Kicking the log so much and so hard clearly put more strain on the healing muscles. But Sky swallowed and began limping towards the edge of the falls. She hurriedly yet carefully climbed down the rocks to the bottom of the falls and saw Dusty resting on solid ground, looking shaken but alive.

"Dusty!" Sky called, limping over to him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine!" Dusty confirmed.

"You had me worried sick!" Sky sighed, reaching Dusty and leaning on him. She brought her ankle to her hand, willing the throbbing to go away.

"Why didn't you redline it?!" Blade shouted as he hovered above the orange and white plane and the human. "You almost made it and you just….." He paused, his attention drawn to something above them.

"What's wrong?" Dusty asked.

"Blade?" Sky called.

Blade rose higher into the air, seeing the treetops near them already ablaze. Their journey down the river carried them right into the fire itself. His mind raced for a solution. There wasn't a place for Dusty to take off in such dense forestry, and the nearest meadow would already be on fire by now. Blade took a look at their surroundings. "Head down that path. Follow me."

Dusty obeyed, gently scooping Sky up onto his wing and somewhat slowly following Blade deeper into the forest. The fire was _definitely_ getting close now, and Sky pulled off her goggles to wipe away the sweat already forming on her forehead. Dusty kept staring at her worriedly, but she put on a smile and patted his nose.

"Champ, come on! Get in here!" Blade called, lowering down to hover above an opening into a cave-like space.

"An old mine?" Dusty gasped incredulously. "Are you crazy? We'll suffocate!"

"There's no other way." Blade reasoned. "We'll let it burn over."

"Let's go, Dusty." Sky hopped down from the plane's wing, still limping a bit as she made her way to the mine.

"No, you take Sky and go on." Dusty protested, looking to Blade. "I'll keep moving."

"Are you crazy?" Sky said, watching Dusty begin to roll down the old railway tracks. "Dusty!"

"Hey!" Blade snapped, landing in Dusty's path. "You can't outrun the fire."

Dusty started glaring. _Man I'm sick of him telling me what I can or can't do._ "You know what? I'll find my way out." He began moving again.

"Like you found your way out of the rapids." Blade pointed out, his rotors still twirling and kicking up a little dust.

Dusty stopped again. "I didn't want to….push my engine…."

"You didn't _want_ to?" Blade shouted.

"Guys, raging fire about to kill us here!" Sky called, but they didn't seem to hear her. Maybe over the roar of said fire coming closer and closer to them.

"Blade, listen to me—" Dusty started.

"This is life and death!" Blade growled. "You don't know what you're doing, so you need to follow orders. I told you 'split load,' and you dropped it all. I told you not to reload on the lake, and you did it anyway. I told you 'redline it,' and you pulled power. Just face it: you don't have what it takes!"

"I don't care!" Dusty shouted, glaring fiercely as he turned to keep moving. "I never wanted to be a firefighter anyway!"

"Then go back to racing!" Blade snapped, and Dusty froze. "Go win yourself another trophy, _Champ_."

"That's enough out of both of you!" Sky ordered, moving to stand between the two aircraft. "Blade, it's not his fault."

"Well it's certainly not _your_ fault!" Blade snapped.

"I never said that." Sky said, searching for a way to end the fight sooner. "I just—"

"You have more talent and strength in one hand than he does in his entire body." Blade growled, glaring at Dusty. The plane had his tail to the both of them, staring off into the trees. "You shouldn't have to hold back just because he does."

"It's not like that!" Sky protested.

"Yeah?" Blade glared at her now, only with a miniscule hint of concern mixed with the anger. "Then why does he always rely on you? Why is it he can give his all during racing but when he comes here he only gives half of it? If he's so good at racing, why doesn't he just stick to it?"

" _I CAN'T!"_ Dusty screamed, spinning around to glare at Blade. His outburst made Sky jump. "My gearbox is busted!" His anger dwindled away, and he slumped on his pontoons as he stared at the ground.

Blade's glare didn't lessen, and if it did it wasn't noticeable. His rotors finally stopped spinning. Sky sighed, and she plopped down on the ground to sit on one of the railroad tracks. She hissed in pain, holding her wounded ankle. It was definitely throbbing now, flashes of pain emanating from the wound with every heartbeat. Sky sighed, feeling defeated. What if she was wrong? What if her wound was holding her back and preventing her from becoming a firefighter? Blade hadn't certified her yet, so what could she be doing wrong that prevented her certification? It had to be related to the ankle; Sky was disabled, just like Dusty. But she couldn't let Mayday down. She made a promise to everyone in Propwash Junction, and she had to keep it. Yet a terrifying thought popped up in her mind: what would happen if she failed?

Blade looked back and forth between the plane and the human. When he spoke, he sounded more understanding than angry. "Life doesn't always go the way you expect it. But the both of you came here to become firefighters. If you give up today, think of all the lives you won't save tomorrow."

Sky looked up to Blade, still amazed by the chief's wisdom. She glanced to Dusty, who hadn't moved from his spot. But they were both thinking the same thing: they couldn't give up now. If they gave up every time they got frustrated or scared, they wouldn't be who they were today.

"So what are you going to do?" Blade asked.

Dusty looked up, and he hardened his gaze. Then, he turned and began rolling towards the mine. Sky pushed herself to her feet, Blade gently helping her up. "Put your goggles on and keep your bandana around your mouth and nose." The fire chief said. Sky nodded, pulling her aviation goggles over her eyes and wrapping her camouflage bandana around her face. She limped towards the mine, staying beside Blade as they followed Dusty. Blade stopped outside the mine, turning to stare at the oncoming fire. The flames already engulfed the area they once occupied. Sky stared, feeling fear claw at her heart.

"Blade?" Sky gulped.

"Go on. Get in there." Blade herded her inside the mine. Debris began falling, crashing down around the pair. Sky hurried inside, Dusty already pressed in as far as he could go. Looking at the interior of the mine, Sky realized there was barely enough room for the two aircraft. But she scooted a little closer to Dusty as Blade positioned himself in front of them. The chief kept his eyes on the opening to the mine, where the fire raged. A cracking sound rang out, and a beam from the ceiling broke and fell down, scratching Dusty's number 7 racing decals. Sky jumped, moving closer to Blade. She and Dusty stared out at the opening to the mine. The fire was right on top of them now. Huge chunks of burning wood fell in front of the entrance, and suddenly a wave of fire shot straight towards them. Dusty shut his eyes, bracing himself for the burning sensation of the fire on his hide. Sky found herself frozen in fear for the first time in her life, the oncoming flames reflected in her eyes and seeming to turn her blue-green irises orange. Suddenly, Blade shot forward, putting himself between the flames and his trainees. He grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, the flames brushing against his side and scorching the paint on his skin. Dusty, realizing he wasn't feeling any burning, opened his eyes and stared in shock to see he was fully encased in Blade's shadow. The larger aircraft gasped softly in pain, the heat and fire pressing against him. Dusty looked down a bit and saw Sky clinging to Blade, pressing herself as close to him as possible and trembling, actually _trembling_ , with fear. Guilt overcame Dusty as he stared at the raven-haired girl.

 _Sky. Sky, I'm so sorry._ Dusty thought, jumping again as another wave of fire blew into the cave.

Blade forced his eyes open, trying to keep tabs on the fire. But a burning tower suddenly collapsed in front of the entrance and a wall of smoke and ash filled the cave.

Then, it was dark.

Several minutes passed before the smoke and ash settled. Dusty's and Blade's lights flickered on, giving some light in the dark cave. A wall of debris completely covered the entrance to the mine, blocking them in. Blade could feel agonizing pain radiating across his flank, but he took a breath and forced himself to ignore it. He looked to Dusty and Sky, the two barely visible in the dim light.

"You two…..all right?" Blade gave a cough, despite his efforts to keep it back.

"Fine." Dusty breathed.

"Peachy." Sky murmured, still shaken. She pulled a small flashlight from one of the pockets on her jeans, switching it on and shining it around the area. "How long are we supposed to stay in here?"

"It'll take a while." Blade admitted. "Just sit tight."

 _Not like we can go anywhere._ Sky thought bitterly. She carefully moved around Blade and towards the entrance of the mine. Even standing a few feet away, she could feel the heat off the burnt pieces of wood. She could even see the soft glows of a few embers. Sky unhooked her fire extinguisher from her back, thankful she filled it with water not retardant before she left the base. She began lightly spraying down the wall of debris.

"Sky?" Dusty called softly, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Giving us an extra bit of protection." Sky explained. "If that fire makes it in here, it'll suck all the oxygen out and then we really will suffocate."

"Just be careful." Dusty said. He couldn't even see Sky nodding. He suddenly felt all the energy drained out of him, and his eyes began fluttering shut.

"Stay awake." Blade ordered, his sharp tone forcing Dusty to open his eyes again. "Stay awake and you stay alive."

"You better stay alive." Sky said, her voice a little muffled from her bandana. "If either one of you end up on the Wall, I'm going to take a marker and draw a mustache on your pictures. And glasses."

Dusty chuckled softly and Blade cracked a smile. Sky finished soaking down the debris, the heat not so strong anymore. She shook the fire extinguisher a bit. _Not exactly a lot left. Maybe I didn't fill this up as much as I thought._ She shined her flashlight around the debris, checking for any more embers, and turned to Dusty and Blade. Her light caught something, and she directed the beam back to Blade's flank. Her eyes widened at the sight of the huge, black-and-white colored burn on Blade's side. It looked like it covered most of his flank, and there seemed to be a small hole in his side where some hydraulic fluid trickled out. _Oh Chrysler…that's from…_ She stared at Blade, but he gave her a hard glare.

 _Not one word._

Sky hardened her gaze as well, and she moved over towards the burn. _Just stay calm and think. What did Sparky teach me about treating burns? They need to be washed with cool water to take away the pain and reduce swelling, but does that even apply to a vehicle?_ Either way, Sky knew the strength of the spray from the fire extinguisher would only make things worse. So she forcefully unscrewed the hose and handle from the top of the extinguisher, removing her bandana and pouring water onto the cloth to thoroughly soak it. Wordlessly, she pressed the wet bandana to the burn. Blade quietly hissed in pain, but said nothing as Sky began gently cleaning the wound. Dusty still couldn't see much, but he began hearing a faint _plip_ of water dripping on the ground. Only it didn't sound like the water from the cloth. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a soft sniffle. It didn't come from him and it sure as heck didn't come from Blade.

 _That's Sky._ Dusty realized. _She's crying._ Dusty felt his guilt growing. If only he had listened before. If he had just followed orders, they could've avoided this whole mess. But he wanted so badly to help, to show he wasn't going to mess up and he knew what he was doing; he never thought it would end so terribly. Now Sky was in danger, _again_ , and it was all his fault. Why did he even become friends with her if he kept putting her life in danger? If he survived this, Skipper will kill him.

Sky finished, staring at the wound. It was the best she could do; no doubt Maru was going to have a field day when he saw this. She put the lid back onto the fire extinguisher and hooked it to her back again. She tied her bandana to her wrist, moving to sit against the wall. But she paused, stepping closer to Blade and leaning against him. The helicopter gave her a small nuzzle, and she sighed as she put her head against his side.

 _Thank you, Blade._ Sky thought. _Thank you. I wish I could be as brave as you._

 _You are._ Blade assured.

Sky sighed, moving to the wall and leaning against it. She slid to the ground, resting her head against the wall. Her previous adrenaline rush from the fear prevented her from feeling the pain in her ankle, but now it seemed to come back tenfold. She blinked her eyes dry, even though the stains from her previous tears remained on her face, showing clearly through the dirt. The glow from Blade's lights bathed her face, but she hardly cared. Everyone was silent, listening to the muffled roar of the fire as it raged outside the mine. Sky pulled her ankle up to rest it on her other leg, putting a hand over the wounded appendage and willing the pain to leave.

By the time Sky's ankle stopped throbbing, Blade determined they could finally leave. Sky stood, moving back to stand beside Dusty. The lights went out, and Blade tensed up a bit before charging forward and ramming into the wall of debris. There was a shift, but not very much. Excruciating pain flared up from his burn, but he rammed into the wall two more times. Light began to stream through into the cave. Blade backed up a bit, then grunted in effort and slammed his entire body weight into the wall. The debris gave way, allowing cleaner air to flow into the stuffy mine. Blade rolled out, coughing. Dusty and Sky soon followed, also coughing a little from the ash kicked up. They looked around and discovered only scorched earth and trees all around them.

Dusty looked to Blade, and his eyes widened when he saw the full extent of the fire chief's burns. "Blade..."

"Airway Meadow should be clear." Blade's voice sounded hoarse and rough, and he coughed a few more times. "We'll take off from there. Let's go."

Sky and Dusty shared a look of concern, but wordlessly followed Blade towards the meadow. Blade moved rather slowly, as though it caused him pain. Which, it probably did. It seemed to take hours to get to the meadow. Sky hopped up into the hoist hatch, Blade only closing it halfway to give her the air, and the helicopter began hovering. He motioned for Dusty to take off, and the orange and white plane began his run before lifting off into the sky. Blade began following him.

Suddenly, there was the sound of something clanking and popping in Blade's engine. Sky gasped as Blade suddenly began spinning in the air, his tail rotor completely useless. Blade fought to keep control, feeling is engine seizing. A strange creaking sound came from inside him, making Sky's heart leap to her throat.

"Blade?" She called worriedly.

"Sky, jump!" Blade shouted as he continued to spin. _"Now!"_

Sky didn't hesitate. She gave a small scream as she leaped from the helicopter. Her feet hit the ground and she tumbled, groaning in pain and the air whooshing from her lungs. The dust and ash swirled around her, and she curled into a ball and covered her head with her hands as Blade spiraled down out of the sky. The momentum forced his hoist hatch to close a split-second before he suddenly smashed into the ground, involuntarily shouting in pain through gritted teeth. He skidded across the soil and ash before coming to a stop. Sky heard something stab the dirt in front of her, and she warily raised her head to see a sleek, black piece of rotor piercing the ground just next to her head.

One of Blade's rotors.

" _BLADE!"_ Dusty screamed, immediately banking around and circling the downed helicopter. "Blade!"

"Blade, no!" Sky shouted, scrambling to her feet. Her ankle almost gave way, but she forced herself to stay up as she half-ran, half-limped to the fallen fire chief. His jaw clenched and his breathing became erratic, obviously in pain. Three of his rotors had snapped in half and his retardant tank was torn clean off. Sky felt herself panicking a little. "Blade. Blade, just stay calm. It's okay, you're gonna be fine." She hurriedly unhooked the fire extinguisher and pulled off her bandana, dumping the rest of the water onto the cloth. She ran to the burn on Blade's side, gently yet quickly placing the bandana on the worst parts of the wound. _That won't do much, or really anything at all, but it'll prevent a bad infection. At least I hope so._ She fought to control her breathing, wondering what on earth she was supposed to do now.

"Sky…" Blade rasped, so quietly Sky almost didn't hear him.

Sky almost tripped over her feet as she hurried back to Blade's line of sight, kneeling in front of his nose. "I'm right here. I'm right here, Blade. I'm not leaving you." She locked her blue-green eyes with his icy blue ones, now full of pain and almost desperation. She hated that look; she hated that the brave, strong, courageous fire chief she knew was reduced to this. But she kept a determined glare. "I'm _not_ leaving you….now just don't leave me…."

Blade didn't answer. He suddenly coughed harshly, a little hydraulic fluid leaking from his mouth and ending up on the ground.

Sky kept her hands on Blade's nose, her breathing becoming a bit shallow. But she forced herself to keep a calm tone. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving you, I promise. You're going to be all right."

Blade couldn't exactly hear anything. It all sounded like an echo underwater. But just seeing Sky was enough to keep him calm. Seeing her alive, knowing he succeeded in keeping her safe, was enough for him. His strength ebbed away to nothing, and his eyes began to shut.

"No, Blade!" Sky shouted, slapping the helicopter a bit. "Damn it, keep your eyes open!" But Blade suddenly went still, and Sky's breathing became borderline hyperventilating.

" _Sky?"_ Dusty called into the radio, his voice worried. He was still circling the two from above.

"Dusty, he's not responding to me." Sky said, tears threatening to spill. "I don't know what to do!"

" _Just stay with him."_ Dusty instructed. _"Windlifter's on his way."_

Sky nodded, keeping a hand on Blade. But she couldn't feel anything through their Soul Connection except the pulses of life, indicating Blade was still holding on. _Keep holding on, Blade._ Sky thought, hoping he could hear her. _Please, just hold on. You're not going to die here!_

* * *

 **A/N: You can either read this note or not, it's just me venting a little bit. I know this story seems rather angst-y, especially with Dusty and Sky fighting and now all this happening. But looking back on it, the movie itself gets pretty angst-y now and then, doesn't it? Really hits ya in the feels. I can only hope I'm accomplishing similar feels with my writing.**

 **Until next time!**


	60. PFAR: Of Blade and Sky

Chapter Fourteen: Of Blade and Sky

Windlifter came much later than Sky and Dusty would've liked. The Skycrane carried a rescue harness, lowering it down towards the ground. _"Raven, can you hook him in?"_ Windlifter asked over the radio.

"Can do." Sky calmed down a few notches when Windlifter arrived, and she knew she had to do everything she could to help Blade. It took a while, but Sky managed to loop the straps of the harness around Blade, behind his front landing gear wheel and under his tail. She caught sight of Blade's right side and saw a good portion of the metal near his jaw crumpled and dented, no doubt from his harsh impact on the ground. Then she remembered what Sparky taught her about aircraft needing their landing gear down for easy transport for medical teams, and she quickly jerked the helicopter's landing gear from its housing. "We're good!" Sky called into the radio.

" _Sky, what about you?"_ Dusty asked worriedly.

"I'll hang onto the straps of the harness." Sky said, not even looking to Windlifter for confirmation. She climbed up the straps, wrapping one around her leg and gripping them tightly. Windlifter paused, then took off and headed towards the base. Dusty flew alongside him, staring worriedly at Blade the entire way. Sky would never admit how terrified she felt flying over the park with only her strength to keep her secured to the straps. She wanted to secure herself with the harness, but couldn't bring herself to move. She kept staring at Blade, pleading for a sign he was still alive. But she couldn't even hear his breathing over the wind. Her bandana fell off the burn and fluttered away to the ground. When the base came into sight, Dusty pulled ahead and landed first before joining the rest of the Air Attack team waiting for Blade to come in.

"Okay, that's good!" Maru called over the wind as Windlifter gently lowered Blade to the ground. He waited until Blade's full weight was on his landing gear. "We're good! Raven, get those straps off him! Pinecone, help her! Avalanche! Push the ramp alongside the access panel and be careful!" Maru couldn't remember the last time he moved so quickly. He had to wrench open the access panel, the door almost melted completely shut. His eyes widened a bit at the damage. "He's hydraulics are completely fried. He's losing fluids. I gotta get him back to the garage, stat. Dynamite! Tow hook!"

"Coming right up!" Dynamite called, driving off.

Maru closed the access panel, turning to the Smokejumpers and barking orders. "I'm gonna need hydraulic fluid from the shed. Blackout, we'll need another generator. Try the main hanger. And grab another heat lamp!" Maru began driving off towards the garage, talking mostly to himself now. "The surface burns are bad, but the interior damage is repairable. As long as we move quick, we got a good chance. Skylar!"

"Yeah?" Sky called, jogging after Maru.

"You got any experience with medical or mechanical work?"

"Some."

"On a scale from one to ten."

"Seven."

"Perfect. You're with me. I'm going to need an extra set of hands."

"Copy that." Sky nodded, keeping at the same pace as Maru. Dynamite parked Blade inside the garage, pulling away and letting Maru and Sky get to work. The rest of the team watched from outside, staring worriedly. Once Blackout and Drip returned with the items Maru requested, he quickly shut the door of the garage. He rarely did such a thing, but this was one of those instances where he couldn't worry about several pairs of eyes staring at him.

"All right, kid." Maru said, pushing another ramp up to Blade's access panel. "You gotta do everything I say when I say it, okay? I need you calm and focused."

"Right." Sky nodded, determination in her eyes as she tossed her harness, fire extinguisher, and goggles to one side.

"First, we'll stop the leaks, then flush out the debris, and get fresh fluids." Maru said as he got to work, seeming to talk mostly to himself. "After that, I'll need help cleaning out the intakes. They're clogged with smoke and ash. Next we'll….." Sky didn't hear those last parts. Maru's voice trailed off to the point where he only muttered to himself, working almost feverishly. He was lucky his instincts as a mechanic and medic took over, otherwise he would not stay so focused. He saw plenty of injuries in his line of work, and some of them weren't survivable. But this was Blade, the toughest fire chief Piston Peak had yet. On top of that, this was one of the worst Maru had ever seen, even with all his experience. To see such a severe injury on someone like Blade just seemed too unreal. He would never admit it, even to himself, but Maru had a tiny fear in the back of his mind that Blade wouldn't pull through. Maru pushed his personal feelings aside, focusing on his work. Blade's lines needed a full flushing out and new fluids, his lines full of ash. Beyond that, most of them were melted or damaged in some way. Sky ran off to grab more with Blade's specs from one of the garage's shelves, handing them to Maru and placing the damaged ones aside as he handed them to her. He had to work quickly, but carefully; he pull out too much, Blade will bleed out before Maru would have a chance to put the new fluids through. Maru had Sky come in and inspect a line he couldn't reach, and the raven-haired girl's mind raced with what Sparky taught her. It wasn't much, but she felt confident the line only needed a minor yet important repair. Maru trusted her with the job, giving her instructions and the right tools. Sky stayed focused, determination carved into her features and very body language. Some of the hydraulic fluid dripped onto her face, but she didn't take the time to wipe it away until she fully repaired the line she worked on.

"Couple more." Maru murmured, eyeing the last two damaged lines. Sky placed a set of new ones at the tug's wheels, standing by for instructions. "Raven, go grab some new rotors from the corner. We'll give him four new ones and then I can worry about finding some specifically like his old ones. The new ones will be labeled in the corner."

Sky nodded, moving to do just that. She knew if Maru started calling her "Raven," he was beginning to relax. Maybe not a lot, but enough to alleviate Sky's worries. She hurried to the corner of the garage, finding a cluster of rotor blades for helicopters leaning against the wall. Four of them, tied together with a string, had a tag labeled "Blade." The others beside them could only be Windlifter's, especially given their length. Sky gently pulled the smaller rotors towards her, lifting them into her arms and carrying them towards Maru.

Suddenly, Maru froze in his work. "No…..no, no, no!"

Sky froze, staring at the tug. "Maru?"

"He's not breathing." Maru growled, slamming a fork arm against Blade before resuming his work at a faster pace. "Ford damn you, Blade! Stay with me! Come on, stay with me!"

Outside, the rest of the team tensed up at Maru's shouts. They didn't want to imagine what was happening in there now. Dusty stared with wide eyes. _Oh Chrysler, Blade, please don't die._

Sky dropped the rotors she held and sprinted to Blade's side, her hands slapping against the metal. Their connection activated…after a few seconds. Sky's eyes widened. _I can barely feel his life. He's slipping too fast!_ She shook her head, growling a bit. "No. No, Blade, you're not leaving like this. I promise you I'm not going to stand here and let you die!"

Then, Sky's eyes changed from blue-green to snow-white, her irises glowing softly. Her powers almost seemed to act on their own, reacting to her emotions. She willed her abilities to do something, anything to help. The Soul Connect thread appeared, and it began glowing brightly. So brightly, Maru actually saw it. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, staring at the ghostly thread he shouldn't have the ability to see.

 _A Soul Connect?_ He looked to the damaged lines, but the last two lines began to fix themselves. Maru hurriedly grabbed the new fluids and began flushing out Blade's system. But he noticed the burn on Blade's side slowly healing, and the tug looked to Sky. The psyche human kept the connection, putting all her power into the healing. Her nose began to bleed from the stress, and a scream forced itself out through gritted teeth. Maru's eyes widened at the sound of sizzling, the sound of skin being burned, and he suddenly remembered what he heard about psyche humans' healing abilities.

"Raven! Sky!" Maru shouted, unsure what would happen if he tried to physically force Sky away from Blade. "Sky, stop! You're gonna kill yourself! _Sky!"_

Dusty wanted to bust right through the garage door, but Avalanche put himself in front of the plane and pushed him back. Tears filled his eyes as he stared desperately at the door. "Sky! Sky, what are you doing? Skylar, no!"

Sky screamed again, white-hot pain exploding from her side. But she couldn't let go. She didn't know if Blade was holding on still. If she could just hold on a little longer, she could heal him completely. Her vision became blurry as tears clouded her eyes, and she could taste the blood running from her nose. She was vaguely aware of Maru shouting, but all she could really think about was the pain. The intense pain. The agonizing, excruciating, really-too-hard-to-adequately-describe pain that now blazed across her entire body.

 _That's enough,_ Cuervo. _We can't have you dying now._

Sky wasn't sure if she was hallucinating the voice or not, but she suddenly felt a force yank her away from Blade. She gasped as she hit the ground, crying out in pain and writhing a bit. She panted heavily, staring off into space. She could've sworn she saw a pair of amber eyes, but she blinked and they were gone.

"Easy, Sky!" Maru shouted, rushing to her side. "Don't press your hands there!" He shoved her hands off her stomach, taking the scissors he was using to clip Blade's lines and slicing open Sky's shirt. He made a quick cut before tearing the fabric the rest of the way, wincing at the sight of the burn. Sky's skin, from her ribs down over her hips, was red and raw with splotches of black. She bled, but not as profusely as Maru thought she would. He quickly scooped up Sky and placed her on a workbench nearby, leaning the girl against a shelf. He grabbed a towel and ran it under the faucet of the sink in the wall, wetting the light cloth and folding it. "Here, keep this on there." He instructed, gently laying the cool cloth over the burn.

Sky grunted in pain, whimpering a bit. "It hurts….."

"I know, I know." Maru said soothingly, gently pushing Sky's torn shirt out of the way to cover the entire burn in the towel. "But keep your breathing steady; don't hyperventilate like that."

"Blade…." Sky looked to the helicopter.

"Take it easy." Maru half-ordered, half-coaxed. "I got him. I got the both of you." He drove off, hooking up the new fluids to Blade as the old ones finished flushing out. Sky watched for a moment before closing her eyes and focusing on fighting the pain. She took deep breaths, her heart pounding for a moment before steadying. She must've fallen asleep for a while, because when she opened her eyes Maru was in front of her again, wiping dried blood from her face with another wet rag. No more of the sticky liquid fell from her nose, indicating her nosebleed finally stopped. Maru smiled comfortingly and moved to dress her burn. He winced a bit; it wasn't everyday he saw burns on a human instead of a vehicle. But he got to work cleaning and dressing the wound, forcing Sky to shakily pull off her torn T-shirt. The Jolly Wrench insignia on the front was still intact, and Sky gave the smallest of smiles.

 _I could sew that back up again._ She thought. She blinked and looked to Maru. "Blade?"

"Resting." Maru said, not looking up from his work.

Sky looked to see the AgustaWestland still in the garage, rotors replaced and his access panel closed. Sky listened closely and heard Blade breathing again, slowly and calmly. She sighed in relief. _He's alive. He's alive._

"There, all done." Maru announced, tying off the bandage. "I rewrapped and replaced the brace on your ankle, just in case."

"Thanks." Sky murmured.

Maru nodded, driving over and retrieving the two hook. He hooked up Blade's front wheel and opened the garage door, pulling the helicopter out and towards his hanger. Maru noticed Sky hopping down from the bench, following them. He silently allowed her. _If these two can really Soul Connect, I guess I shouldn't stop her from leaving him just yet._

"Sky!" Dusty called, the only one left outside the garage at that point. Night long since fell over the base, making the air a little cooler. Dusty stared at his human friend, noting she only wore her jeans, sneakers, and bright blue sports bra. His eyes widened at the sight of the bandages around her stomach. "Oh Chrysler…."

"I'm okay, Dusty." Sky said tiredly. "Really."

Dusty didn't seem convinced; Sky didn't exactly sound convincing either. But his focus shifted to Blade as Maru hauled the still-unconscious fire chief to his hanger. Dusty and Sky followed, staring at Blade worriedly. They watched Maru carefully back Blade into the hanger and shut the doors, sighing. Dusty looked to Sky, a bit surprised when the girl backed up and sat on his wing. But he turned his attention to Maru.

"Is he going to be all right?" Dusty finally asked.

"I've done everything I can. He needs rest, for now." Maru reported, beginning to drive off. "Look, Dusty, don't blame yourself."

Dusty sighed as he followed Maru. "He should have left me out there. He could've taken Sky and just left."

Maru smirked. "Nah. That ain't Blade's style." His face fell. "Especially since what happened to Nick."

"Nick?" Dusty blinked. "You mean Nick Loopin' Lopez from the TV show?"

Sky tensed a little, remembering the memory Blade showed her. That moment seemed like forever ago. Maru led Dusty and Sky back into the garage, driving towards the Wall. He began moving carts and boxes out of the way.

"It was just a routine day on the set." Maru explained. "Nick, he was doing his trademark loop for a stunt scene. But there was this freak crosswind." Maru moved the final box, revealing a picture of Nick Loopin' Lopez in the corner of the Wall. Nick was smiling broadly, and writing in the corners of the picture read "Good move, partner! –Loopin' Lopez". Dusty and Sky stared at the picture, the former rather shocked. Maru sighed. "Blade was the first on the scene but…..he didn't know what to do. His best friend was gone. And Blade thought his life was over too. Then he got trained and came here. Blade, he used to pretend to save lives. Now, he saves them for real."

Dusty and Sky continued to stare at the picture. Even when already knowing what happened, Sky felt a wave of emotions hit her at hearing the story for a second time. Most of all, she felt sad; sad, because Blade lost someone who meant the world to him. How would Sky feel if that happened to her? If she had to watch Skipper or Dusty crash or witness Sparky or Chug or Mayday or any of her family die? Dusty felt the same way. The fear he felt when he almost got Sky killed not once but twice now was more than enough to give him an engine attack. If she didn't survive next time….if there would be a next time…Dusty didn't even want to think about it.

Sky slowly slid off Dusty's wing, limping over to the Wall and kneeling down in front of Nick's picture. She reached out and touched the photo, and for a moment a feeling of warmth passed through her.

 _Now you gotta be the one who's there for him,_ Cuervo.

 _Nick…_ Sky sighed, standing and walking outside.

Dusty hurriedly followed her. "Sky!" The girl paused at the sound of her name, and she turned to face Dusty. The plane stared at her, torn. "Sky, I am so sorry. I'm sorry that I was jealous and putting you in danger and—"

"Dusty, don't worry about it." Sky assured, looking down. "We're training to be firefighters. Constant danger is kind of part of the job."

"But putting you in danger like that is not." Dusty said. "I never wanted you to get hurt."

"I know that." Sky nodded. "But I'm the one who owes you an apology." She sighed. "I didn't want to tell you about the Soul Connect."

"I guess I was being a little stupid for being jealous, huh?" Dusty sighed.

"Yeah you were. But it's understandable." Sky said. "You were right; I was focusing so much on this new connection, I didn't think about how it would affect how I feel about my other connections. But this connection, this bond I have with Blade, it's real. It's like the bond I share with Skipper; he's my family, just like Sparky and Chug and Mayday and you and Dottie. Blade's part of my life now too. But that in no way means the bond I share with you is any less legit. Our connection _is_ strong because we _did_ build it up over time and its core rests in our friendship. All of the connections and bonds I make, Soul Connect or otherwise, are born from something beyond my psyche human powers."

Dusty smiled. "I'm happy you're my friend, Soarin' Sky. Thank you."

Sky looked down. "Don't thank me. I don't deserve to be your friend."

Dusty blinked in surprise. "Why not?"

Sky swallowed the lump in her throat, letting out a ragged breath. "Because I didn't want you to come here. I wanted to do this alone. I wanted to be the one to save Propwash Junction and be a hero. You already proved you were more than what you were built for. What about me? Don't I get a chance to be heroic and do something amazing?" She blinked furiously, tears threatening to spill out. "And I know that is _so selfish_ of me. I just thought I could show people I'm more than what they think I am. But I'm not. You say we're a team, but I haven't been committing to that."

"Yes, you have." Dusty said firmly. Sky stared at him in surprise. "Skylar Amelia Riley, I am who I am because you were always there for me. You are _not_ just my pilot and you are _not_ extra weight. You're the voice in my head that pushes me to break my limits. You're the calm when I'm stuck in a storm. You have always committed to our teamwork, and if I had the chance to do everything over again I would still choose to have you by my side." He rolled up closer to Sky, making sure she looked him in the eyes. "Don't you _dare_ let _anyone_ tell you that you're just a pilot or extra weight. You are my best friend. Well, best friend who's a girl. Chug kinda took that 'best friend' position a long time ago." Sky giggled, happy tears streaming down her cheeks. Dusty smiled. "I love you, Sky. You're part of _my_ family, and I don't know what I'd do without you."

Sky smiled broadly, and she came forward to hug the plane. Dusty nuzzled her, sighing. The two stayed that way for a moment before parting, Sky wiping her eyes dry. "Thank you, Dusty."

Dusty nodded. "I know this Soul Connect is really important to you. And hey, it's a _Soul Connect._ That's freaking awesome!" Sky giggled again. Dusty chuckled. "I'm just going to have to get used to sharing you. Including right now."

Skye blinked. "Right now?"

"You gotta go to Blade, Sky." Dusty encouraged. "He needs you. Use your Soul Connect to help him out. Don't try and heal him, but maybe you can keep him from…..you know….." Dusty sighed. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he died because of me."

Sky smiled softly, patting Dusty's nose. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it." She turned and jogged up to Blade's hanger, Dusty smiling after her. Sky pushed open the hanger doors enough for her to slip inside, and she looked to Blade. The fire chief was still unconscious, but he breathed evenly. Sky crept over to the helicopter, half-hoping his eyes would open. But they didn't. Sky exhaled, raising a hand and resting it on Blade's nose. Their Soul Connect activated instantly this time, and Sky connected to Blade's consciousness.

* * *

 _Sky knew at once she must've been standing in a dreamscape area, seeing how it was nothing but white all around her. Then, a new setting materialized before her eyes, and she found herself on a studio set in what she assumed was L.A. Humans and vehicles milled about, setting up props and talking. It looked awfully familiar. In fact, Sky spotted the_ CHoPs _logo on one of the food tables. She looked around, but didn't see Blade or Nick anywhere._ That's strange. _She thought._ This better not be post-Nick death. But it seems like business as usual. So where—

" _NICK ENRIQUE LOPEZ!"_

 _Sky jumped at the shout, the voice belonging to Blade. She looked and saw Nick hopping like mad as he tried to escape his pursuer, looking quite freaked out. Blade chased after the smaller helicopter, and Sky slapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her laughter. Blade had a pair of eyeglasses drawn over his visor and a mustache sketched across his nose in what looked like magic marker. But based on Blade's furious glare, he was less than amused._

" _Come on,_ hermano! _" Nick yelped as he tried to escape his co-star's wrath. "Take a joke!"_

" _You ain't gonna like where I take this joke and stick it!" Blade shouted, still chasing his friend around the set. The rest of the cast and crew simply moved out of the way, as though this was a normal thing for the two actors. Sky struggled futilely to hold back her laughs. No matter how mad the AgustaWestland looked, it only made him look sillier with the marker across his face._

" _Go on, laugh it up."_

 _Sky gasped and spun around. Her face broke into grins at the sight of fire chief Blade behind her. "Blade!" She laughed, running over and hugging the red-and-white helicopter. Blade nuzzled her, chuckling. Sky was surprised to find the fire chief looked good as new, but she had to remind herself this was only a dream. She giggled as she looked back to Nick and_ CHoPs _Blade, the former shouting fearfully in Spanish. "And what on earth brought this about?"_

" _He drew on my face while I was taking a nap." Blade rolled his eyes. "I was ready to pound him."_

" _Did you?" Sky asked._

" _Nah. But I got my revenge." Blade said._

" _Dare I ask how?" Sky giggled._

" _I threw a pie in his face." Blade said nonchalantly._

 _Sky raised an eyebrow. "You did not." Blade gestured to the scene, and Sky looked to find Nick desperately trying to take off into the air._ CHoPs _Blade followed his example, hooking his hoist onto the tin of a cream pie on the food table._

" _Hey Lopez! Think fast!" Blade suddenly threw the pie forward. For some reason, Nick paused and turned around, the pie smacking into his face and sending cream across his visor and nose. Blade laughed, as did several of the crew members, while Nick raised his visor to give a deadpan look at his friend._

" _All right, all right." Nick sighed. "I suppose I deserved that."_

 _The director laughed, shaking his hood. "You two jokers done messing around?"_

" _Sorry." Blade said sheepishly._

"Lo siento." _Nick echoed._

 _The director laughed again. "That's all right. Just go get washed up so we can continue shooting." Blade and Nick nodded, landing on the ground and moving off. They shoved each other teasingly, laughing the entire time._

 _Sky smiled warmly. "Wow. You two were really close."_

" _Yeah." Blade sighed, watching his younger self and best friend talk. "You know what '_ hermano' _means?" Sky shook her head. "It's Spanish for 'brother.' When Nick and I first met, the director had us spend the day together to get to know each other. I was kind of nervous at first; it was my first acting job and I didn't know what my co-star would be like. But I was surprised and relieved to find Nick was a pretty carefree, happy guy. We ended up bonding pretty quickly, and he started calling me '_ hermano _.'" Blade looked down, his smile shrinking. "In the end, we didn't exactly feel like best friends. It felt like we really were brothers."_

 _Sky put a hand to Blade's side. "You were pretty lucky then."_

" _I'm lucky now." Blade said, smiling at Sky. "I told you nobody could replace Nick. But I am grateful to know you, Sky." He looked to her bandages. "Looks like you got hurt because of me."_

" _Nah." Sky waved it off. "I would do anything for the people I care about. You're part of my life, Blade; my family. This—" She gingerly touched her wound. "—is just a small price to pay for keeping you alive."_

 _Blade's smile grew. "Don't give up hope on me just yet. I'm a lot tougher than you think."_

" _I won't." Sky assured. "I promise." The two looked up to see the dreamscape beginning to change, and Nick and Blade could be seen preparing for another round of filming._

 _Blade stared at Nick, his smile not fading this time. "Sky? Could I…could I have some time alone?"_

 _Sky looked to Blade, nodding in understanding. "Sure thing. Enjoy your memories."_

* * *

 **A/N: Fun fact: Nick's middle name is actually the middle name of his voice actor, Erik Estrada! Thought that'd be cool to use. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	61. PFAR: The Piston Peak Inferno

Chapter Fifteen: The Piston Peak Inferno

Sky blinked and found herself back in Blade's hanger. The wounded fire chief hadn't moved, but he seemed much calmer now. Sky smiled broadly, wiping away happy tears. She kissed her fingers and patted them against Blade's nose. "Get well soon." She whispered, staying there for a moment longer before exiting the hanger. She pushed the doors shut, sighing in content. She began humming a bit as she walked down towards the garage.

Then, she jumped as the alarm sounded across the base. Patch's voice came in over the speakers. _"We got trouble, y'all. Wildfire jumped the main exit road and now it's blocked."_

"There's not another way out of the park?" Sky asked, approaching Windlifter and Dipper.

"There's only the one main exit and entrance." Dipper said. She looked to Windlifter. "I know it's after sunset, but you're in command. It's your call."

"If you're gonna go, you better go now." Maru warned.

"And we'll need every plane we've got." Dusty added. Everyone looked to Windlifter, waiting for his response.

"Load up." The Sikorsky ordered.

Everyone leaped into action. Maru began hooking up Dipper, Dusty, and Windlifter to the hoses for retardant and the Smokejumpers loaded into Cabbie.

"I'm coming with you." Sky announced, approaching Dusty. Since her shirt was torn, she had to wear the light, black jacket she wore on the flight here from Propwash. Her harness was strapped on and her goggles rested on her head. A torn piece of her shirt rested in her hand, ready to tie onto her face.

"You're hurt." Dusty protested.

"Don't care." Sky said, unloading her fire extinguisher and opening it to refill. "We work as a team. I'm with you every mile of the way." Dusty stared at her, then nodded.

"All right, let's get you guys—" Maru paused, jiggling the lever to the water. But nothing flowed through the hoses. Maru hurried to the gauges near the hoses, tapping one of them. "Problem! There's no water pressure!"

"Main line musta burst again!" Cabbie groaned.

Sky groaned in frustration, forced to drop the empty fire extinguisher as she hopped onto Dusty. "Not good."

"Hey Patch!" Dipper called as Maru unhooked the hoses. "What's the lake look like?"

" _Negative."_ Patch reported ruefully. _"No visibility. Boxed in by fire and smoke."_

Windlifter began taking off, his lights flicking on. "All we have left is what's in our tanks. Let's make it count."

"Dusty?" Sky asked, pulling her torn shirt piece around her mouth and nose like a makeshift bandana.

"I still got some retardant left." Dusty confirmed, joining Cabbie and Dipper on the runway. "Let's do this."

Sky nodded, lowering her goggles and hooking her harness to the handlebar on Dusty's canopy. She tucked her feet into the stirrups, bracing herself as the aircraft took off. In no time, they were all headed straight towards the main road. The fire ahead of them raged on, the glow seeming to light up the night.

Sky swallowed. _Don't be afraid. You can do this._

"We're headed straight into the fire!" Dusty called. "Shouldn't we fly around it?"

"The fastest way to the main road is _through_ the fire!" Dipper protested.

"Brace yourselves!" Windlifter called. He and Dipper disappeared into the smoke. Dusty and Sky tensed up a bit as they and Cabbie followed close behind.

Chaos. That was the simplest way to explain the inside of the inferno. Embers blew up in everyone's faces. Smoke clouded their vision. Chunks of flaming wood shot down like tiny meteors. Everyone became forced to weave their way through the destruction to avoid getting hit. Dusty and Sky were vaguely aware of Dipper shouting encouragingly, but the intensity of the firestorm made it hard to concentrate. After a few tense moments that felt like years, the team finally broke through the smoke. Thankfully, they all came out unscathed, but the sight on the other side of the smoke made them all widen their eyes briefly. Flames engulfed the valley, leaving only a burning glow beneath them.

"Holy Chrysler….." Sky breathed.

The crew ended up flying right over the lodge, somehow unaffected by the flames getting closer and closer. Soon, Sky and Dusty noticed why: a huge amount of water soaked the lodge from the roof sprinklers. Sky narrowed her eyes in suspicion. That was quite the amount of water for standard roof sprinklers to put forth. Then again, Cad was probably so addicted to the stupid lodge he would've spared no expense to keep it safe. So the team continued on, reaching the main entrance in less than a minute. A long line of cars and humans stood in front of the burning, destroyed gate, and Muir the train blew his whistle desperately. The Air Attack team moved in. Windlifter dumped his load of retardant first, snuffing out the flames of the destroyed gate; Dipper moved along the side of the cliff, extinguishing the fire threatening to come up over the ridge; Dusty and Sky moved in last, aiming for the flaming trees blocking Muir's path. Dusty swooped in and dropped the retardant, hitting his target directly and allowing Muir to push through the burnt wood to continue on. The Smokejumpers deployed from Cabbie, hurriedly clearing a pathway for the rest of the campers. Ol' Jammer began encouraging the campers forward, and the civilians all began moving at a steady pace through the charred debris. Several of them thanked the Smokejumpers on the way out, and everyone smiled warmly as the aircraft of the team began making their way back to base. They were already pushing it by flying out at night in the first place; the longer they stayed out, the greater their chances of someone crashing. But they couldn't help feeling proud of what they did. They saved the lives of the campers, just as they were trained to do, and they could all go back and plan their attack on the fire at first light.

Or so they thought.

" _Windlifter, come in."_ Patch called hurriedly.

"Go ahead, Patch." Windlifter responded.

" _We've got two old RVs trapped in Augerin Canyon."_ Patch reported.

Sky tensed up. Two old RVs? At Augerin Canyon? "Dusty, isn't that...?"

"Oh no." Dusty understood and he pulled ahead to fly alongside Windlifter. "That's Harvey and Winnie! From the lodge!"

"They must've left before the fire spread and it overtook them." Sky guessed.

"Augerin Canyon?" Windlifter said. "That's at the other end of the park."

"I can get there the fastest. Sky can help me." Dusty said.

"The canyon will be engulfed in flames and you have no retardant." Windlifter protested.

"I'll scoop off the river. There's a clear stretch of water." Dusty countered.

"I'll be right with him the entire time." Sky added. Windlifter said nothing, a contemplating gaze in his eyes. He stared at each of them in turn.

"Windlifter, we can do it." Dusty assured. This time, there wasn't a hint of cockiness or desperation. Just pure confidence.

Windlifter finally answered after a long pause. "Go. Be safe."

Sky nodded as Dusty took off, the two of them shooting into the fire. Dusty looked to his torque. He was already pushing into the yellow at this speed. "Dusty, don't look at that." Sky urged. "Just be careful and trust me." She took a breath, coughing a bit from the smoke, and activated the connection between them. Dusty felt the pull in his engine, and he picked up speed. The two of them shot off over the trees, finally reaching Augerin Canyon and diving down into it. Windlifter wasn't joking; the entire canyon seemed to be on fire, especially the bridge near the falls. Winnie and Harvey were resting right in the middle, the area around them unburned for now. They shouted for help, and Dusty tilted a wing in response before shooting off again. He turned hard, diving down to the river at the bottom of the canyon.

"Keep talking to me, Sky." Dusty urged. "We can do this."

"Right." Sky nodded as Dusty lowered the scoops for his pontoons. "Just keep going. There you go. Easy now." They were getting lower and lower to the river, and Sky eyed the rocks poking out of the water. "That's it. Little lower." Her eyes widened. "Flaming tree!" Dusty pulled up sharply, barely missing the flaming log. But when he went down to scoop, he had to jerk up again and his pontoons clipped another log in the river. Sky groaned. "Dusty, it's no use. The river's too shallow and there's too much debris. We'll never be able to scoop enough water in time!"

"I know." Dusty groaned. "But we can't give up!"

Sky looked up and gasped. "Heads up!" Dusty swerved as flaming trees fell past him. He shot forward, doing a barrel roll as Sky pressed herself against him to avoid the falling rocks. They swerved through falling debris and the still standing rocks in the canyon, trying to imagine it was just another training session with Blade. Sky winced as a flaming chunk of wood shot past her head. "Dusty, there's nowhere to scoop water here! We gotta get to the lake!"

"But Patch said it's boxed in!" Dusty protested, still avoiding falling debris.

"It's worth the risk!" Sky said. "I'll give you an extra power boost and that'll keep the gearbox from breaking. We can scoop up the water and then hurry back and we can save Harvey and Winnie!"

Dusty thought for a moment as they approached a wall of smoke. "Yeah, yeah, okay! That could work! That—" He gasped as they cleared the smoke to find a horrifying scene before them. The bridge had begun to collapse, and Winnie was half-hanging off the edge of the platform with Harvey keeping a tight grip on her wheel. At once, Sky's plan was shot down. There's no way they'd be able to refill at the lake and get back in time before the bridge collapsed, taking Harvey and Winnie with it. So what could they do? How were the two of them going to save their friends now?

 _We need a miracle._ Sky thought.

Suddenly, the sound of helicopter blades could be heard over the crackling of the fire, and Dusty and Sky looked up thinking they'd see Windlifter coming in. But instead, a familiar, still beat-up AgustaWestland burst through the smoke.

"Blade!" Sky called happily.

Blade shot down the waterfall, not looking fazed by his still-healing injuries. He spun around and hovered in the air over the bridge, his hoist hatch opening. He threw the hook and cable, catching Winnie and holding her from the edge. Blade grit his teeth a bit, using all his strength to stay hovering in the air. His eyes looked to Dusty and Sky, and he glared at them. A silent message passed between the fire chief and the trainees, and Sky and Dusty glared back.

Message received.

There was only one way to refill now.

"Sky?" Dusty asked.

Sky readied herself. "I'm with you, Dusty."

Dusty shot off. He ducked under the flaming bridge and then pulled up sharply, running parallel with the waterfall. Sky kept the connection up between them, giving Dusty the extra strength he needed and praying the gearbox would hold on with her help. Dusty lowered the scoops to his pontoons, dipping the gear into the waterfall. His body shook from the water hitting him and filling his pontoons, but he stayed firm.

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Sky suddenly reached around and punched the warning light, ceasing its flashing and blaring. Dusty cast her a brief smirk before he turned his gaze back on the task at hand. The two of them shot up, up, up, higher and higher, and cleared the top of the falls. The momentum carried them up past the smoke a little ways, allowing them to see a clear night sky. Then, Dusty fell back and looped down low, speeding right past Blade's hoist cable and dropping the water he gathered across the flaming bridge. Blade tugged on the hoist, helping Harvey and Winnie up onto the bridge. The two RVs sped off, making it into the stone tunnel just as the bridge collapsed behind them.

Sky cheered loudly, punching the air. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! We did it!"

"You bet we did, co-pilot!" Dusty nodded, smiling broadly. Sky laughed, hugging the plane.

"Dusty, Sky!" Blade called as the two passed him. They glanced to the fire chief, who actually smiled at _both_ of them. "Good move, partners."

Dusty smiled, feeling pride well up inside of him. He did it. He saved lives, like a true firefighter, and he earned the respect of Chief Blade Ranger. Sky patted his side, obviously proud. Best of all, Dusty's gearbox didn't—

 _SCREECH!_

Dusty's propeller jerked to a halt, a horrible grinding sound coming from his engine and smoke streaming into his face. Sky felt her heart seize and she screamed in pain. Dusty heard alarms blaring and red lights flashed across his panel, pain radiating throughout his entire body. Sky was writhing in agony on his back.

"Sky!" Dusty gasped, pain choking his voice. He looked to his side view mirror, and Sky stared back at him with desperation in her eyes.

"Dusty…" Sky groaned, clutching her chest where her heart lay. The both of them were starting to slip into unconsciousness as Dusty suddenly took a nosedive. He hit the trees, branches slapping him and Sky repeatedly.

" _NO!"_ Blade came up behind them, throwing his hoist. The hook and cable wrapped around Dusty's tail, and Blade jerked backwards. He shouted in some pain and frustration when the winch suddenly broke, causing Dusty and Sky to fully tumble into the trees.

Blade flinched at the sound of the crash, and when it became silent once more he hurriedly searched for a place to land. Finding a small opening amongst the trees, the AgustaWestland carefully yet quickly lowered himself down to the forest floor. "Dusty! Sky!" He shouted, rolling forward in the direction of his fallen comrades. He finally saw a spot of white and orange through the trees and he rushed over. But when he saw Dusty, Blade couldn't help wincing in sympathy. The poor racer looked like someone crumpled him up like a piece of paper and then lengthened him out again, his prop destroyed beyond repair, and one of his pontoons ripped off. It bore a frightening resemblance to another crash Blade witnessed so long ago, but the fire chief kept his emotions in check.

"Dusty?" Blade gave the plane a gentle nudge, hoping he didn't cause more damage.

Dusty gave a pained moan, and he wearily blinked his eyes open. At least, they opened halfway. The world before his eyes looked like a splash of watercolor paints, and he blinked a few more times to clear it up. "Blade?"

"Hey Champ." Blade sighed in relief. "Just hang on. You'll be all right."

Dusty coughed a bit. He looked to his side view mirror, but it had snapped off during the crash. "S-Sky….where's Sky?"

Blade looked, but realized with a start that not only was the handlebar hanging loosely off Dusty's canopy, but the hooks that were attached to Sky's harness had been ripped off. The hooks remained, but Sky was nowhere to be found. _She must've gotten thrown off when they crashed._ Blade scanned the area, starting to wish Sky didn't wear such dark clothing so he could find her. Then, he spotted something at the base of a nearby tree, and he pushed aside some branches to find Sky lying unconscious on the ground. She lay on her side, her chest barely rising and falling. Her makeshift bandana had ripped free and her goggles were cracked. Twigs stuck in her hair and clothing, and she was covered in ash. But she was alive…..barely, but alive.

"She's right here." Blade returned to Dusty. "She's still alive."

Dusty could feel his eyelids getting heavier, unconsciousness overcoming him. "Blade…please…please don't let her die….."

"She'll be fine." Blade assured. "You'll _both_ be fine."

"I don't…care…..about me….." A few tears escaped Dusty's eyes. "But…..she can't…..die…..please, Blade…..don't let…..her…..die….." His eyes shut, and he became still.

"Dusty? Dusty! Champ, hey!" Blade gave the plane a few nudges, but Dusty didn't move. Blade listened closely, relieved to hear Dusty still breathing. "Just hang on." Blade murmured, turning on his radio. "This is Ranger 301 to base. Somebody come in."

After a moment of static, Maru's infuriated voice came over the radio. _"Blade August Ranger you freaking son of a junkyard mutt!"_

Blade rolled his eyes, unsure what exasperated him more: Maru using his full name or that rather unusual insult. "Maru—"

" _Do you have any idea how worried I was?"_ Maru screamed. _"When I said 'stay put and let the others handle it,' that was_ not _your cue to take off when my back was turned!"_

"Maru."

" _I swear, if you crashed while you were out there, I'm not even gonna help you this time! I'm gonna disassemble you and rebuild you as a toaster oven! See that I don't, Blade! Because I swear—"_

" _Maru!"_ Blade shouted. "I didn't crash. Dusty and Sky did."

Silence. _"What?"_ Maru's voice was only a whisper, something Blade never heard before.

"They saved the lives of two campers, but then Dusty's gearbox failed and he crashed." Blade explained hurriedly. "They're hurt really badly, Maru. You gotta get Windlifter out here ASAP."

" _Rule about no flying after sunset aside, there's no way Windlifter can find you right now."_ Maru said. _"He and the others are scanning the park for any stragglers, and by the time they get back it'll be_ way _too dark to see anything. They're going to have to come straight back to base. Dusty and Sky are gonna have to hang on until it gets lighter."_

"Damn it, Maru, they may not have that much time!" Blade argued.

" _Are you kidding?"_ Maru scoffed. _"Those two are tougher than nails and there's no way they're going to give up now. I don't like the idea of waiting either, Blade, but it's what we gotta do."_

Blade growled in frustration. He understood the rules and the need for everyone's safety, especially Windlifter's considering the Skycrane was the only one who could properly transport injured vehicles for medical treatment. But could Dusty and Sky hang on long enough? Blade rolled up closer to Dusty, listening to the plane's breathing. Steady; a little shallow, but steady. Sky: steady, but barely breathing. Blade sighed. "All right. At first light, you get Windlifter out here."

" _Copy that. I'll have the shop ready for the both of them."_ Maru hung up.

Now it was just the waiting game, and Blade hated it. He was just supposed to sit here and wait for dawn to break? Well that certainly sounded fun (insert sarcasm). But he steeled himself and resigned to the situation. He moved back and forth between Dusty and Sky, not trusting himself to move either one of them, and kept close tabs on their vitals as best he could. Dusty continued breathing just loud enough for Blade to hear him. Sky was a little more difficult. She either barely breathed or she breathed so quietly Blade couldn't hear her sometimes. He gently pressed his nose against her head, activating their Soul Connect involuntarily. Blade could feel pulses of life, indicating Sky clung on and wasn't letting go anytime soon.

 _You'll be okay._ Blade assured. _You'll both be okay. I promise._

Blade looked into the distance, where the fire still raged. Fear tried to claw at his engine, but he pushed it aside. Still, a terrifying thought came to mind: what if the fire got to them before Windlifter did? He didn't have his retardant tank, so he wouldn't even be able to create a barrier around them. After several minutes, Blade heard the unmistakable sound of thunder in the sky. "Oh great." He groaned. If they had to worry about mudslides on top of this stupid fire…

Then, the rain began coming down. It washed over Dusty and Blade, but the latter rolled over Sky to shield her from the cold droplets. Mudslides on top of a fire he could deal with. Sky getting pneumonia on top of her current injuries, not so much. Blade felt his front wheel touch Sky's hand, and he could feel her life force seeming to flicker.

"Come on, Raven." Blade whispered. "You're a lot tougher than anyone gives you credit for. I know you can do it. Just keeping holding on and I promise nothing will happen to you."

After a few minutes, the rain faded to nothing. Blade blinked in surprise, and he looked off towards the fire. Only now, there was only smoke remaining. Blade couldn't see the soft orange glow of the fire anymore, and he had to wonder if the entire blaze had been taken care of in that one bout of rain. _I don't know who's watching over us now, but thank you._ Blade sighed in relief, allowing himself to calm down. It would still be at least an hour before Windlifter could arrive. Blade began to feel anxious, wishing it could be brighter already. Dusty still breathed evenly, but he didn't move an inch. Sky's life force continued to flicker every time Blade checked.

 _Come on, come on!_ It took all of Blade's willpower to not begin pacing. _How much longer is this going to take? They can't hold on forever._

 _Blade…_

The AgustaWestland paused, looking around. He could've sworn he heard something. Or maybe it was just his nerves. He waited for the voice again, thinking someone was trying to contact him over the radio. But there was nothing. Blade groaned. Between his major crash and the stress he felt right now, he _really_ didn't need to be hallucinating voices right now.

 _Blade._

Okay, he definitely heard that. "If someone is out there trying to mess with my head, I swear I'm gonna tear you in half!" Blade shouted. There was silence for a moment. A soft breeze blew over him, seeming to carry two simple words with it.

 _Cuervo….hope…_

Cuervo?

 _Cuervo….hope…_

Cuervo.

 _Raven._

Blade looked to Sky, rolling over to her and gently nuzzling her head. _Don't give up hope on her._ He guessed. _I won't. I promised I wouldn't lose this one. You're not going to die, Raven. You were there for me when I needed you, so I'll stay right with you._

Blade's promise seemed to appease the voice, because it didn't speak again. He sighed softly, feeling his resolve waver. He brushed his nose against Sky's head.

"Don't die." He whispered, his voice uncharacteristically weak. "Please. Please don't die."

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know if you picked up on this, but Blade's middle name is inspired by the "Agusta" part of AgustaWestland, the type of helicopter he is. I thought it would be fitting.**


	62. PFAR: Saving Sky

Chapter Sixteen: Saving Sky

Blade found he couldn't sleep at all for the rest of the night, and as the sky grew brighter he heard the familiar sound of powerful rotors and the calls from two of his Smokejumpers. "Here! We're over here!"

Windlifter finally arrived with the rescue harness, Pinecone and Drip hurriedly approaching. They looked horrified to see the state of their friends, but Windlifter barked a few orders and they got to work. Pinecone began strapping Dusty into the harness and Drip gingerly lifted Sky into his claw. He carefully placed her in Blade's hoist hatch, swallowing the lump in his throat. Once the two injured were loaded up, Blade and Windlifter took off into the skies and Pinecone and Drip sped back to base. Blade and Windlifter moved as fast as they could, careful to keep their cargo steady. They looked out across the park to find the brief storm truly extinguished the flames from the inferno. It was a comforting sight; one less thing to worry about. Blade and Windlifter beat Pinecone and Drip back to base, Windlifter going first to gently lower Dusty onto the runway. The rest of the Air Attack team gathered to watch, staring in shock and concern at the state of their SEAT. Maru hurriedly transported him to the garage, checking Dusty's vitals and pushing an oxygen tube into the plane's windpipe.

"Where's our little Raven?" Maru demanded, hurrying out as Blade landed.

"Here." Blade opened his hoist hatch, allowing Maru to retrieve the limp form of Sky and bring her into the garage. Maru had set up a work bench and laid a few blankets down on top of it to create a makeshift cot, and he gently placed Sky on top of it. He muttered to himself as he checked her over, and he growled in frustration.

"Blade!" Maru barked. "Get in here!"

Blade didn't hesitate to obey, everyone else staying outside and giving Maru the room he needed. "What's wrong?"

"When Dusty's gearbox failed, Sky's heart seized and now she's in a coma." Maru said. "She's slipping fast."

Blade froze, staring at Sky. "Maru, you've got to save her, please."

"At the rate we're losing her now, I can't to do anything to save her." Maru said, looking to Blade. "But you can."

"What?" Blade blinked.

"You two can Soul Connect." Maru said. "I know because I saw it when Sky got hurt healing you. That connection you two share should be strong enough to pull her back and I can stabilize her."

"Maru, connections like that are controlled by the psyche human, not the vehicle." Blade protested. "I wouldn't know what to do!" He cringed a bit at his words.

"She's dying, Blade." Maru said, staring the fire chief in the eyes. "She might already be dead. You're her last hope, even if the odds of this working are against us."

Blade looked to Sky, then nodded. _What have we got to lose by trying?_ Maru nodded in satisfaction, moving to Sky's side. Blade rolled up alongside the makeshift cot, staring at Sky's unmoving face. Maru lifted the raven-haired girl's arm, placing her hand on Blade's nose. Blade didn't feel their connection activate for a few seconds. _Please…please just let this work….._ Blade focused on the connection, wondering how on earth Sky even learned how to do it.

Then, he felt a pull in his engine, and his icy blue eyes took on a snow-white tinge.

* * *

 _Blade wasn't sure where he was, but it certainly wasn't Maru's garage. In fact, it looked like a small, cozy kitchen in a house. A table rested in the middle of the room, the cabinets were made from an acorn-colored wood, and a floral wallpaper surrounded him._ What is this? Where am I? Is it a dream or a memory?

" _You really shouldn't have hit him,_ chica _. There are other ways to react to teasing."_

 _Blade jumped and turned, noticing two figures in the room he swore weren't there before. Both were humans, one of them a Hispanic woman wearing a red dress and an apron. She wiped dirt from the face of a young girl sitting on the counter, the child looking no older than eight. The young child wore overalls a couple sizes too big for her, the pant cuffs rolled up, and a Kelly green T-shirt. The girl had blue-green eyes, pale skin, and jet-black hair._

 _Sky._

" _It wasn't just that he was teasing me." Eight-year-old Sky huffed, a fierce glare in her eyes. "He was making fun of my birthmark."_

" _I didn't know you had a birthmark." The Hispanic woman said, trying to keep the conversation light._

" _All psych-mans have birthmarks, Rosa." Sky droned. "It's like a black-colored tattoo. It is said our birthmarks lead us to our Soul Connect partners by giving hints to who or what they are."_

" _Amazing." Rosa breathed, looking genuinely interested. "Could I see yours?"_

 _Sky stared at her for a moment before raising a hand to her right shoulder sleeve. She lifted the sleeve to reveal what looked like a black-colored tattoo. It resembled a flame, with a pair of crossed wrenches underneath it. Blade knew at once the flame meant him._

" _Sky…..how long have I kept you waiting for me?" he sighed._

 _The scene seemed to turn to smoke and disappeared, and Blade found himself watching several of Sky's fondest memories. Skipper adopting her; pretending to fly out on the runway; becoming friends with Dusty; winning the Wings Around the Globe Rally; discovering the Soul Connection; bonding with Blade. In every memory, Blade could see Sky smiling away or crying happy tears. He smiled softly, watching Sky talking happily with her Propwash Junction family. This was the Sky Blade knew; the girl who always kept her hopes up and never let anyone bring them down. Someone who could be brave or calm when the people around her weren't. What kind of fate determined Blade would find her, and actually connect with her? No,_ bond _with her. She couldn't be like Nick, but she could be the kind of friend Blade needed to finally let go of the pain from his past._

 _Suddenly, Blade jumped as fire erupted around him. The memories faded into a wildfire setting, complete with burning trees as far as Blade could see. "Sky! Sky, where are you?" But he didn't see the raven-haired girl anywhere. It was only fire._

 _Then, a figure appeared out of nowhere, standing several feet in front of Blade. The helicopter stared at the human man before him, taking note of the human's muscly build, gray hair, wrinkled face, and dark green eyes. He wore jeans, hiking boots, and a black and red jacket with the Propwash Junction Fire Team logo on the front, over his heart._

" _Max?" Blade murmured, amazed to see the late firefighting partner of Mayday's. Max said nothing, his form glowing in a soft blue aura. Blade stared at him. "Um, I'm looking for Sky. Is she here?"_

 _Max still didn't say anything. He only smiled. Then he turned and began walking off deeper into the blaze. Determined he was here to help, Blade followed._

* * *

 _Sky never thought she'd be in so much pain when Dusty's gearbox seized._ Dang, I guess Dottie was right. _She thought, looking around the area she stood in. It felt like some of dream-like place, because while it looked like a forest area she could see visions in the bark of the trees. In these visions, Sky could see pieces of her past from when she was a very young girl to the nineteen-year-old she was today. Sky realized she seemed to be watching her life flash before her eyes. "Great, I knew it. I'm dead."_

" _Not yet, but good try,_ Cuervo. _"_

 _Sky spun around to the source of the voice, finding a white and blue Hugh's 500D helicopter with bright amber eyes. "Nick? Nick Loopin' Lopez?"_

 _Nick chuckled. "Haven't heard anyone call me 'Loopin'' in twenty-something years."_

 _Sky blinked. She blinked again. "I knew it. I'm dead."_

" _Not this time." Nick assured. "You're just sort of caught in the middle. I decided you might need a little help holding on."_

" _So that was you before." Sky guessed. "You pulled me away from Blade so I wouldn't get hurt anymore."_

" _I've always been watching over Blade." Nick assured. "He always had my back when I was alive. Who am I to not return the favor?"_

 _Sky smiled. "I was right. Blade was lucky to have a friend like you, and he still is."_

 _Nick smiled back, gesturing for him to follow her. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."_

 _Sky nodded, happily following the helicopter through the trees. Nick didn't hop but rather floated through the pines as Sky walked alongside him. "So Blade always had your back, huh? Seems kind of funny considering the pranks you played on him."_

" _Eh, we did that to each other all the time." Nick said. "You should've seen the stunts he pulled on me. You know, he once snuck into my hanger one night and I woke up with a bunch of streamers on my rotors."_

 _Sky laughed. "That sure doesn't seem like Blade I know now. He seems so….serious."_

 _Nick sighed. "Yeah. He's been to hell and back, and I played a part in that."_

" _Hey, you couldn't have known you would crash that day." Sky said comfortingly._

" _But Blade blamed himself for so long." Nick said. "I'm sure he still blames himself."_

" _He shouldn't." Sky said. "I saw what happened; even if he had known what to do to help, it wouldn't have made a difference. You were just too damaged."_

" _I only wish I could've saved him the pain that followed." Nick said. "But I was happily surprised when you suddenly came along. And that's why you can't die yet."_

" _I'm not dying if there's a chance I can go back and live again." Sky said firmly. "I have too much to live for."_

 _Nick smiled. "You got a family back home?"_

" _I was abandoned by my birth parents." Sky explained. "I was adopted by a Navy veteran named Skipper and his buddy Sparky. They were the ones who formally adopted me, but it felt like half the town of Propwash took me in."_

" _That's what I like to hear." Nick nodded. "Who do you consider your family? Apart from this Skipper and Sparky."_

" _Well, there's Mayday the local fire engine. He used to have a partner named Max, but he died about four years ago." Sky said. "Then there's Dusty; we've been good friends since I was twelve. And Chug and Dottie are amazing. There's also Rosa; she's the head of the orphanage I stayed at when I was a kid. We still keep in touch with each other." She sighed, smiling warmly. "And now there's Blade, along with the rest of the Piston Peak team. I guess that's another thing keeping me going. I can't let them watch me die."_

" _I'm sure you won't." Nick said. "Your Soul Connection with Blade is awfully important."_

" _I know." Sky said. "Well, I kind of know. I'm still trying to figure out what all I can do with it."_

" _Soul Connects bind a psyche human and machine together with a bond that cannot be broken." Nick said. "It's almost like they were meant to have that connection. Blade needs you as much as you need him." He smiled warmly at Sky. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you and Blade found each other and that you have this bond. You're right; he's pretty serious about a lot of stuff. But you bring out the Blade I remember, and with Blade's help, you can understand the full capacity of your powers. You aren't like other psyche humans, Sky. You're capable of more than you know, and Blade can help you find that."_

" _I'm sure he will." Sky nodded. "Which means I have to get back to him." She paused, Nick turning to face her. Sky put her hands on her hips. "So, Nick Loopin' Lopez, how_ do _I get back to him?"_

" _I think you'll figure that out soon enough,_ Cuervo _." Nick assured with a wink. He glanced behind Sky, and the raven-haired girl turned around. In an instant, her surroundings changed and all the trees caught fire. In the midst of the smoke, ash, and blazing flames, Sky noticed a red and white paintjob and heard a familiar voice calling out to her. Sky turned back to Nick, but the helicopter seemed to have disappeared._

" _Thank you." Sky whispered. She took off into the burning forest. "Blade! Blade!"_

 _Blade froze. He had lost sight of Max just a few minutes ago, but he hardly thought about that as Sky's voice called out over the roaring fire. He looked through the flames to see Sky running towards him. "Sky! Raven, over here!"_

 _Sky sprinted as fast as she could, but she suddenly skidded to a halt as a wall of flames erupted between her and Blade. She tried to remind herself this was only a dreamscape, but the heat from the fire certainly felt real enough. Blade suddenly shouted "Catch!" and Sky saw the hook from his hoist flying towards her. She quickly grabbed it, keeping a tight grip. She held on as she ran forward, leaping right through the flames. She hit the ground running, nearly slamming into Blade._

 _Their vision went black._

* * *

Blade opened his eyes to find himself back in Maru's garage. The tug stood nearby, waiting anxiously for a response. He long since hooked up an IV drip and removed Sky's jacket, patching up some of her wounds. Now, he just needed her to wake up. Blade looked to Sky's shoulder, where her psyche human birthmark rested. It seemed to….suit her somehow. Blade and Maru stared at Sky's still form, praying for a response.

Sky surprised them by gasping deeply, her eyes shooting open as she went into a coughing fit.

"Don't curl up like that!" Maru snapped, helping Sky stretch out again. "You'll only hurt yourself more. Easy there, kiddo. Easy."

Sky panted heavily for several seconds before she began to breathe easily. She stared at the ceiling before glancing over to Blade. She kept her hand on his nose, rubbing the metal with her thumb and looking almost thankful to see him there. "Hey Blade….." She breathed.

Blade smiled warmly, sighing in relief. "Hey Raven."

Sky blinked in remembrance. "Dusty?"

"About to work on him next." Maru assured. He drove to the entrance of the garage. "She's alive!" A resounding cheer from the Air Attack team rang out, and Sky giggled softly. Maru made his way over to Dusty. "Hey Dynamite! Call Jammer and have him send up the human doctor. I don't deal with humans, much less psyche humans."

"Whatever." Sky murmured, still staring at Blade. The helicopter gently nuzzled her, sighing in relief again. Sky could hardly move, but she couldn't stop smiling. "Nick says 'hi.'" She whispered. Blade's smile grew. He stayed right by her side, even when she gave in to her exhaustion and fell asleep.

 _Tell him I said 'hi' back._

* * *

 **A/N: Fun fact (because I love my fun facts): the scene where Sky is looking at her life through visions in the trees was inspired from an old scene in an anime called** _ **Digimon Frontier.**_ **Don't know if any of you would know that, but like I said, I love my fun facts.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	63. PFAR: Respect Earned

Chapter Seventeen: Respect Earned

Blade woke up the next morning to find he still remained by Sky's side. He smiled softly, gently nuzzling her head. She hardly stirred, but the steady rise and fall of her chest assured Blade she was still okay.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Maru greeted, still working on Dusty.

"Morning." Blade didn't move, but glanced over to where his comatose SEAT rested. He frowned. "Any change from last night?"

Maru snorted. "You expected something so soon? It's only nine."

Nine a.m.? Yeesh, when was the last time Blade slept in so late? "Just make sure to keep everyone posted."

"I know." Maru assured, still focused on his work. "Most everyone felt comfortable enough to sleep last night, but no doubt they'll return soon enough."

Blade nodded, resuming his staring at Sky. He couldn't remember her looking so peaceful before, or maybe that was just because the last twenty-four hours turned out to be pure hell for all of them. Then he thought of something. "You think these two have family back home?"

"I'd be surprised if they didn't." Maru said, knowing what was coming.

Blade nodded again. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Sky and rolled off towards his hanger. He briefly noticed Dipper standing outside the garage doors, but continued on. He knew what he was about to do was one of the hardest things a chief had to do, but it would be cruel to _not_ do it. Still, Blade couldn't remember what Sky told him about her family, if she did at all, so calling Mayday would be his best bet.

" _Hey there, Blade!"_ Mayday greeted warmly. _"So glad you called! I heard you had quite the fire up there at Piston Peak."_

"One of the biggest in history." Blade confirmed. "And the biggest in my time as a firefighter."

" _Well I'm happy to hear you're all right."_ Mayday said. _"I was worried for a moment. But I figured if you really had listened to me during training, you'd be fine."_

Blade smirked. _I really do owe this position to you, Mayday. Thanks._ "Yeah. Hey, do you know Dusty's and Sky's family?"

" _Don't know much about Dusty's family."_ Mayday admitted. _"But Skylar lives with Skipper and Sparky."_ There was a pause. _"Why? What's happened?"_

Blade sighed. When was the last time he had to make a call like this? Clearly not long enough, if it still hurt. Especially given his bond with Sky. "Mayday, Sky and Dusty crashed during the fire."

Another pause, this one much longer. _"Oh…."_ That was all Mayday could say apparently.

"They're still alive." Blade said, hoping he wasn't unintentionally lying given Dusty's condition. "Our mechanic is working on Dusty now, and we're having a doctor come up to look at Sky. I just wanted to let you know what happened."

" _Of course. Thank you."_ Mayday's voice sounded funny, like he was crying a little. Yep, there's a sniffle. But Mayday cleared his throat and gathered his composure. _"Really, thank you for telling me. I'll let Dusty and Sky's friends know."_

"I'll call when they're awake again." Blade assured. Mayday thanked him and hung up. Blade sighed heavily, staring at the ground for a moment. He only had to make a call like this once or twice in his time as chief, which was really saying something given where he worked. He never broke down or got emotional, but sometimes it got a little uncomfortable. What was he supposed to do while the loved ones of a lost firefighter started sobbing? He wasn't exactly an expert in comforting people. This time, though, things were different. This time, it involved someone he grew to care very much for. And as for Dusty….all right, so the little plane managed to hit a soft spot in Blade. Dusty's dedication and generally happy nature reminded Blade of Nick. He did something that actually impressed Blade, and now the helicopter could finally admit he was rather proud of Dusty.

Blade wasn't sure how long he stayed in his hanger, but the sound of Mayday's voice over the radio jolted him from his thoughts. _"This is Chief Mayday to Piston Peak. Blade, you still there?"_

Blade pressed the pedal to the radio. "I read you—"

" _WHERE IN CHRYSLER'S NAME IS MY DAUGHTER?!"_ a new voice shouted, nearly rattling Blade's eardrums.

It took a moment for the fire chief to respond. "Who is this?"

" _Commander Skipper Riley now where is she?!"_ the voice shouted.

 _Commander? Well, now I see where Sky gets her attitude._ Blade tried to keep himself from snapping at Skipper, knowing he was just concerned. "Sky is currently unconscious, like Dusty."

" _I'm coming up there."_ Skipper announced.

"No good." Blade countered quickly. "Park's closed because of the fire."

" _I don't care."_ Skipper snapped. _"I'm coming to see my daughter!"_

"Your daughter is fine! I promise." Blade said firmly.

There was a moment of silence, save for the static of the radio. _"Everyone out. I want to speak with him alone."_ Skipper's voice sounded distant, like he was turning away from the radio. After a moment, a door shut in the background. Skipper's voice returned, a little softer. _"How can you promise me that she's safe? That they're_ both _safe?"_

"Because I know neither one of them are the type to just give up." Blade said. "And Sky knows she has people waiting for her to come home. I personally made sure they were all right and our mechanic is going to do what he can to fix Dusty."

" _And….his gearbox…I mean, it was—"_

"Broken when he came out here? I know. It failed right before he crashed."

" _Is he going to make it?"_

"I think he's got a good chance. As long as he doesn't give up."

" _He won't. Believe me, he won't."_ A pause. _"Can you promise me, the next time I see my daughter, she'll be alive?"_

Blade nodded. "You have my word. I would _never_ let anything happen to her."

Skipper was silent for several seconds. The last time he spoke before hanging up, his voice sounded ragged yet relieved. _"Thank you."_

* * *

"You sure I can't help out with anything?" Sky asked Maru, sitting up on her makeshift cot. The human doctor Ol' Jammer sent left several minutes ago. While he wasn't a psych-man, he determined Sky's injuries could've been worse. Sky's burn began bleeding again, she had several scratches across her back and arms, bruises up and down her arms, and she re-sprained her ankle. Luckily, landing on her sprained ankle allowed her to involuntarily tuck and roll and lessened her blow. The doctor insisted Sky not wear her ankle brace and simply keep the appendage wrapped while staying off it. So Sky was back on crutches, with bandages wrapped all over her torso and up her arms to make her look like a mummy in jeans and a sports bra.

Maru chuckled at Sky's attempt to offer her help. "Raven, the last time you helped me with an operation, you ended up with that burn. I got this."

Sky sighed. "Oh all right."

"Now go on and get some fresh air." Maru said, focusing mostly on his work with Dusty. The orange and white plane hadn't moved an inch, but Maru didn't worry about it just yet. "You should get a little exercise in even if you can't move all that well."

Sky looked down. She was worried about Dusty, just like everyone else. The entire Air Attack team gathered outside the garage, watching Maru work. But she knew the best way she could help this time would be to stay out of the way. So she lifted up her crutches and leaned on them, hobbling out of the garage and standing beside Blade. The helicopter gave her a soft smile before they both returned their attention to Dusty. He was still pretty beaten up; Maru hadn't had a chance to hammer out all the dents. Right now, he worked on replacing the plane's damaged prop. The entire team were worried, and it was clear based just on the looks on their faces. Crashes were no surprise to them; they all saw their fair share of injuries. It was just part of the job. But this was almost too much. Nobody could help their cheers when Maru announced Sky was still alive, and they were thankful the rain took care of the fire. Now, it was just waiting for Maru's work to pay off.

But Dusty remained unconscious throughout the day, and as night fell everyone began turning in for the evening. A single prayer ran through their minds: please let Dusty wake up tomorrow.

Blade, Sky, and Dipper were the last ones at the garage as night came over the base. Maru still worked, not taking his focus off his job. Blade sighed. "Come on, Raven. Let's get some sleep."

Sky sighed too. "Okay."

"You should get to bed as well, Dipper." Blade said, looking to the SuperScooper. She looked exhausted, and he had to wonder when the last time she actually slept was. Dipper gave no indication she even heard her chief speak. "Hey, Dipper. Did you hear me?"

"Yeah." Dipper murmured, not taking her eyes off Dusty. "I'll be okay."

Blade and Sky exchanged looks. This seemed….different…from Dipper's usual fan girl personality she had around Dusty. Sky gave Blade a pat, encouraging him to the hanger, and she hobbled over to stand beside Dipper. The two females stared at Dusty, hoping he would give some indication that he still hung on besides the quiet sound of his breathing.

Sky finally spoke. "You okay, Dipper?"

Dipper didn't answer. Then she sighed. "I don't want him to die."

Sky sighed, patting the SuperScooper's side. "Yeah, me too. But don't worry. Dusty's pretty tough. And Maru's doing a great job taking care of him." If Maru heard her, he didn't show. Sky looked to Dipper. "You know, this is the first time I've seen you act in a way that didn't scream 'crazy fan girl' around him."

Dipper chuckled softly. "What makes you say that?"

"I can see it in your eyes and in your body language." Sky said. "You're showing sincere care for him. Why is it that he had to crash like this for you to show this kind of care?"

"Don't get me wrong." Dipper said. "I really do care about Dusty. He's such a nice guy and he'd be a great friend. But…" She sighed sadly. "He'd never like me like that."

"Why do you say that?" Sky asked curiously.

"He's the great Dusty Crophopper. And you're the amazing Skylar Riley." Dipper said. "I'm just…me. He'd never go for a girl like me. So I acted the way I thought he would've expected. That first bit of excitement from when we first met was real, but everything else was part of the act. I put all my heart into how much of a fan I was of him and you. He reacted just the way I knew he would."

Sky stared at Dipper, realizing just how insecure the SuperScooper seemed to be. "Hey, Dusty's a lot nicer than that. You saw him when we first met Blade. He didn't even want to talk about his world championship; he's just too humble to brag about his racing. It's not about the trophies and the fame for him; it's a deep-seated passion. Under all that fame, he's just Dusty Crophopper, a nice guy from Propwash Junction who's always open to making new friends." She smiled at Dipper. "Dusty's not exactly looking for a girlfriend right now, but I know he would be happy to have you as a friend."

"You think so?" Dipper asked.

"You bet." Sky nodded. "Just like how happy _I_ am to have you for a friend."

Dipper smiled warmly, and she sighed. "Thanks, Raven."

* * *

Unfortunately, everyone gathered around the garage the next day to see Dusty still unconscious, and Maru still working away. Dipper remained in front of the garage. Sky explained to Blade last night about Dipper, and Blade made a deal with the SuperScooper: she could stay as long as she wanted, but the second Dusty woke up she was to immediately get something to eat and go to bed. Dipper agreed.

Everyone else milled about the base. Patch alerted Blade to a call from Jammer over the radio, and he and Sky disappeared into Blade's hanger to answer.

"This is Chief Ranger. How are things on your end, Jammer?" Blade asked.

" _Doing all right."_ Jammer said. _"It's mostly cleanup from here. The rangers are spreading out to check if any of the other buildings got scorched and we got a team working to clear the main road and rebuild the gate. But I'm actually calling about something else. Are Skylar and Dusty there?"_

"Skylar, yes. Dusty's still getting fixed up by Maru." Blade reported.

" _That'll do."_ Jammer said. _"We found a couple campers in the tunnel near Augerin Canyon, and we brought them back here to help them out. They've been asking about Dusty and Skylar for a while now. Can they talk to her?"_

"I'm right here, Jammer." Sky said. "Put 'em on."

There was a pause. _"Skylar?"_

"Harvey! Winnie!" Sky greeted warmly, relieved to hear the voices of the elderly RVs.

" _Oh thank Chrysler in heaven!"_ Winnie sounded like the weight of the world was lifted off her. _"We were so worried about you two!"_

" _You really saved our lives, Skylar."_ Harvey said. _"A couple of the rangers found us and brought us back to the lodge."_

"Are you two okay?" Sky asked, concerned.

" _Winnie was a little traumatized and I got a burn or two."_ Harvey admitted. _"But we're okay. When we heard you and Dusty crashed, we practically begged Ranger Jammer to let us talk to you."_

" _We thought you two had died, just to save us!"_ Winnie sounded like she was crying a little.

"It's okay." Sky assured. "Dusty still needs a little work and I'm a little beat up myself, but we're still alive. And Dusty's going to be so happy to hear you two are all right."

" _We wanted to come up and see you, but Ranger Jammer says we'll have to leave the park when we're able to."_ Harvey said. _"The place still isn't safe for visitors. You should see the state of the lodge. It's soaking wet!"_

"I can imagine." Sky said.

" _When can we see you two again?"_ Winnie asked, calming down a bit. _"We want to find some way to thank you."_

"You don't have to do that." Sky said humbly. "Besides, Dusty and I might be staying here for a while to heal up, and I wouldn't want you two to go through such trouble waiting for us."

" _It wouldn't be any trouble at all."_ Winnie assured. _"Just tell us where we can meet you once you're out and about."_

Sky thought for a moment. Then, her face lit up. "Hey! How about you two come to the Corn Fest?"

" _The what?"_ Harvey asked.

"The Corn Fest!" Sky said. "It's coming up in a couple weeks. Go to Propwash Junction, Minnesota. That's where Dusty and I live. You two can meet us there and you'll have a lot of fun at the festival!"

" _That sounds like a wonderful idea!"_ Winnie said happily. _"Well, we best be off. Harvey still has a day or two left to heal up himself before we leave. See you soon!"_

"Bye!" Sky said cheerily, hanging up. She sighed in content, then caught sight of Blade's smile. "What?"

"It just amazes me how kind you can be." Blade said as he and Sky journeyed outside. "You're as kind as you are strong and brave, and those are very admirable traits."

Sky looked down, blushing a bit. "Well, you're awfully brave and strong yourself." She cast a look to the burn mark still on Blade's flank. "Dusty and I owe you our lives."

"No you don't." Blade assured. "It's my job to keep my team safe."

Sky smiled warmly. Then, Patch's voice came over the PA. _"All aircraft and jumpers, TMST agent approaching base. I repeat, TMST agent approaching the base."_

Sky looked out to see a large tanker and a forklift driving up the road to the base. Her eyes fell into a glare. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Blade had met TMST agents in the past, but never one that looked like this. Sky's reaction made him blink in surprise. "You two know each other?"

"We don't have a good history." Sky growled, her grip tightening on her crutches.

Blade looked back and forth between Sky and the TMST agent. "Maybe you should just stay up here. I'll take care of this."

"No, it's _because_ we don't have a good history that I'm coming with you." Sky said determinedly, keeping alongside Blade as they approached the TMST agent and his assistant. Blade didn't protest, despite his lingering doubts. They stopped some feet away from the TMST agent and his assistant, and the tanker's dark blue eyes gave Blade a once-over before they flicked over to Sky.

The agent's eyes narrowed. "Hello again."

"Sup." Sky returned the subtlety hostile greeting.

The agent stared at Sky for a moment and then, realizing she wouldn't leave, returned his attention to Blade. "Chief Ranger, I assume."

"Affirmative." Blade nodded.

"I am Ryker of the Transportation Management Safety Team." The agent introduced. "I am here to discuss a pair of incidents that occurred two days ago."

"Very well." Blade said, getting a feeling he wouldn't be able to avoid it anyway.

"Your crash occurred first. Explain what happened." Ryker half-ordered, half-requested.

"Two of my teammates and I were fighting a forest fire." Blade said bluntly. "My teammates were in trouble, I helped them, as per my job description as their chief."

Ryker's eyes looked to the burn on Blade's side, and he noted Sky's glare trained on him. "Miss….."

"Skylar Riley." Sky said.

"Miss Riley, were you one of the trainees involved?" Ryker asked. His assistant scribbled away on his clipboard.

"What about it?" Sky asked, a snarky tone beginning to creep into her voice.

"Could you give me the details of the incident?" Ryker said.

Sky cast a look to Blade before resuming her glaring at Ryker. "We were fighting the fire from the air when the second trainee ran into a complication and became grounded. We were forced to take cover let the fire burn over."

"Is that how you and Chief Ranger received your injuries?" Ryker seemed to know the answer already.

Sky began to wish she wore her jacket instead of just her sports bra, her bandages still exposed. "I was not injured."

Ryker looked to Blade, or more specifically the burn on his flank. "Then how did such injuries occur?"

Blade kept his stern glare. "I can handle more pain than they can."

Ryker's glare wavered for only a moment, but enough of a moment for Sky to notice. She then caught sight of the hose nozzle on top of Ryker's roof, and it clicked in her head. _This guy actually used to be a firefighter._

"Where is Mr. Crophopper so we may discuss the second incident?" Ryker asked.

"Currently being repaired." Blade replied simply.

"Details on his and Miss Riley's crash?" Ryker requested.

Blade looked to Sky, allowing her to give the story. "We were working a rescue operation and taking on water. After said operation was completed, my partner's gearbox became damaged and his engine seized. In the resulting crash, I was thrown off him."

"How did Mr. Crophopper's gearbox become damaged?" Ryker asked, sounding almost confused.

"It previously had damage which prevented him from going to max torque." Sky explained, keeping her glare in her eyes.

Ryker's eyes narrowed a bit. He looked to Blade. "You allowed him to go out with damage to a critical component of his flying mechanisms?"

"It was a choice Dusty made on his own." Sky growled.

Ryker half-ignored her. "It is my understanding he was taking on water at night. Did you permit this?"

"I did." Blade said without hesitation. Sky tensed a little, praying Windlifter didn't hear. The Sikorsky wouldn't stand for Blade taking responsibility for his call.

"Exactly why was such an action necessary?" Ryker demanded.

"It was necessary to save lives." Sky snapped.

Ryker was _definitely_ beginning to lose his patience with Sky, and he glared at her. "Do you know the rules of firefighting and why they are in place?"

"I do." Sky nodded.

"Do you understand the 'why'?" Ryker snapped.

Sky's glaring eyes locked with Ryker's. "How long were you in active duty as a firefighter?"

Ryker blinked, staring at her. "Long enough."

"When you went into action to fight fires and save lives, how often did you think of the rulebook? How often did your mind run through all the rules of firefighting? Did you ever once think about what you were and were not supposed to do? Or did you just go in and do your job, because when it comes to saving lives, the rules should not be the first thing on your mind? You just do what you can to help people, because you're their only hope." Sky's voice didn't hold any sass this time. Instead, she sounded genuinely curious.

Ryker stared at her, his glare barely lessening. The two stayed with their eyes locked for several moments, a silent understanding passing between them. "Why did you and Mr. Crophopper not return to base to refill?" Ryker asked, sounding more curious than demanding now.

"We couldn't fill up before we left." Sky said. "We had to go out with what was left in the aircrafts' tanks because of a burst in the water line."

Ryker's eyes narrowed again. "I did not pass such a burst. Where does the main water line flow?"

"To us and to the lodge." Blade answered.

"What dictates the flow of the water?"

"A lever connected to the pipes, located above ground and alongside the outside of the lodge itself."

"And the lever pointing parallel gives the water to the base." Ryker guessed.

"No, when it's perpendicular to the ground." Blade said.

Ryker blinked. His assistant tensed up, casting a look to his boss. Sky noticed the change in the tanker's look. "Which way was the lever facing when…" She could even finish the question when something clicked in her head. "The sprinklers…..oh Mother of Dodge!"

"What?" Blade asked, sounding almost worried now.

"Cad messed with the water line." Sky realized. "That's why the sprinklers were gushing out so much water. There's no way they could be so powerful without the extra boost. He must've switched the water to the roof sprinklers to kick up the power." She began fuming, her nose flaring a bit in her anger. "We flew right over that damned lodge. We _saw_ how much water those sprinklers pushed out. We never even gave it a second thought."

Blade began to realize what Sky meant. If Cad really did tamper with the water supply, that means he prevented the team from getting full tanks of retardant before going out to fight the fire. He forced Dusty and Sky to go up the waterfall to refill, which caused the gearbox to fail, which caused them to crash, which almost _cost them their lives._ Blade glared, but this time out of pure hatred for the white Cadillac that was technically his boss. Then, he caught sight of Sky beginning to move towards the entrance of the base. "Sky? Where are you going?"

"I'm going down to that stupid lodge, find that even stupider excuse for a park superintendent, and I'm going to beat him into a pile of scrap metal!" Sky shouted, hobbling off with her crutches. Blade couldn't remember when he ever heard her so angry. Still, he felt a similar anger. After years of putting up with Cad, this was crossing the line. He was tempted to finally sic Maru on him.

Suddenly, Ryker shot forward, putting himself between Sky and the path that led to the lodge. He stared at her, letting her furious look wash over him. Sky took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Listen, buddy, it is taking _all_ of my willpower to not shout at you." Sky spoke through gritted teeth. "But so help me Chrysler, you better get the _hell_ out of my way or else."

Ryker stared at her as his assistant pulled up alongside him. The large tanker still didn't move for several moments. "You are injured."

Sky blinked, her anger turning to confusion in an instant. "Huh?"

Blade stared at the interaction. He had feared a major fight would break out, but Ryker's response surprised even him.

"You are injured and healing." Ryker said. "It would be best if you remained here until you can move properly." He looked to Blade. "Please have your mechanic forward the reports."

Blade nodded, finally over his surprise. "Of course."

Ryker looked back to Sky, his glare softer. Sky stared back at him. She could tell from that look in Ryker's eyes that she had somehow earned his respect. To Ryker, Sky's stare back at him meant he earned her respect as well. He gave a crisp nod and drove off, his assistant following close behind. Sky stared after Ryker, smiling softly.

"I think you impressed him." Blade said as he rolled up beside Sky.

"Yeah." The girl shrugged. "He impressed me too."

* * *

 **A/N: The scene with Ryker coming to the base was inspired by a near-exact instance in another story. AmbulanceRobots has a story called "War Stories," which is a wonderful collection of stories revolved around the firefighters of the** _ **Cars**_ **world. Chapter 9 of that story brings Ryker to the base to talk with Blade.**


	64. PFAR: Cad is Scared by the Demon Child

Chapter Eighteen: Cad is Scared by the Demon Child

Day three, and Dusty still hadn't woken up. But Maru became more relaxed as he worked, so everyone could be confident things were looking up. Maru even felt confident enough to take a break and take a look at Blade and Sky. The raven-haired girl was healing nicely, and Maru rewrapped her wounds with a relieved grin on his face. Unfortunately for Blade, the tug forced the fire chief to sit through a sanding of his left flank so Maru could repaint him.

Sky moved over to Dusty, inspecting the orange and white plane. Dusty was nearly all put back together again, save for a few more dents and one of his pontoons yet to be reattached. His access panel on his nose was open, and Sky took a look inside. Her eyes widened when she saw his entire gearbox missing.

"I had to take it out." Maru said as he finished his painting. Blade moved aside, waiting outside the garage. Maru began working again. "There were such giant cracks in it. There's no way it could be fixed. I had to take the whole thing out."

Sky stared at the empty space where Dusty's gearbox used to be. She moved out of the way as Maru continued his work. "So…he'll never fly again…..much less race….."

Maru paused, spinning around and glaring at Sky. "Don't. Say. That. _Ever._ "

Sky looked up and stared at Maru in surprise. "Maru, look at him. He was built to fly and he just destroyed the one thing that allows him to do that. You said so yourself it couldn't be fixed. You won't be able to fix him."

"Why do you doubt me?" Maru growled.

"You're good, Maru, but can you work miracles?" Sky demanded.

"Three words: better than new." Maru rolled up closer to Sky. "Dusty _will_ fly again and I'm going to make sure of it. I need you to trust me, all right? You can't give up hope now just because things are at an all-time low. That's not how you worked in the past, so now shouldn't be any different. I promise things will work out. When have I ever let you down?"

Never. Not once has Maru ever let them down. He trusted Sky with helping him when Blade was hurt. Now, Sky had to trust that Maru knew what he was doing and could help Dusty, no matter how scared she felt that Dusty would wake up unable to fly. She sighed. "I don't care if he can't race. Just make sure he can still fly. He deserves that much."

Maru nodded. "You have my word."

* * *

Sky went back to sleeping on the floor of Blade's hanger, using the blankets as a makeshift bed of sorts. She and Blade slept peacefully, at least as much as they could with Dusty's condition still on their minds.

" _Hello? Is anybody there?"_

Sky moaned sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. _What's that?_

" _Hello? Propwash Junction to Piston Peak?"_

Sky reluctantly stood from her blanket nest, limping to the radio nearby. Blade yawned a bit as he wearily blinked his eyes open. "Who is it?"

"Propwash." Sky replied in an equally sleepy tone. She pressed the pedal on the radio. "Hello?"

A pause. _"Sky?"_

Sky smiled tiredly. "Hey there, Chug. What's up?" Chug didn't respond for a moment, and Sky instantly became wide-awake when she heard sobbing. "Chug? What's the matter?" Blade could hear the crying, and he tentatively came up behind Sky.

" _You're okay."_ Chug blubbered a bit. _"M-Mayday told us y-you and D-D-Dusty…."_

Sky sighed. "Yeah. Dusty and I crashed. But I'm okay. And Dusty's getting patched up right now. No need to worry." She checked the clock nearby. "Say, isn't it like one a.m. over there?"

" _I haven't been able to sleep."_ Chug seemed to be calming down now. _"We're all so worried. Hey! I'm gonna get everyone else!"_

"No, Chug! Let 'em sleep!" Sky called hurriedly. But Chug apparently already drove off, and the young woman laughed.

Blade chuckled softly. "That's some family you got there."

Sky nodded. "Yeah. I guess so. They _are_ pretty awesome."

" _Skylar?"_

Sky brightened up. "Dad!"

" _Skylar! Oh thank heavens!"_ Skipper sighed heavily. Dottie's, Sparky's, and Mayday's voices could be heard talking at once, all of them sounding relieved and as though they were crying. Which, they probably were.

" _We were so worried about you."_ Mayday said. _"We thought we'd never see you again."_

"Well, you may not be able to see us for a while." Sky admitted. "Dusty still needs some fixing up and I need some time to heal."

" _Take as long as you want."_ Skipper assured, sounding like he was trying really hard to keep his emotions at bay. _"As long as you're okay."_

"I'm fine, Dad." Sky assured, ignoring the slight pain she still felt from her burns. "It's so good to hear from you."

" _You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice."_ Skipper sighed. He yawned a bit.

Sky giggled. "You guys ought to get back to bed. I promise, once Dusty wakes up, we'll call you."

There was a pause, clearly showing how hesitant the Propwash residents felt. But Sparky's voice came on. _"Okay, Sky. You get some rest, all right?"_

"Can do, Sparkplug." Sky said. "Goodnight." Everyone bid her goodnight and hung up. Sky sighed. "It was good to speak to them, even if for only a few minutes."

"I called a few days ago to let them know what happened." Blade told her. "They sounded concerned. Especially your father."

Sky stared at the ground. She was silent for a long moment, making Blade a little concerned himself. Finally, Sky spoke up. "You know, while I was unconscious, I kept going through flashbacks of different memories. A lot of them were of me, Sparky, and Skipper. When I was still an orphan, Sparky was my only friend. He's the one who introduced me to Skipper. It's so funny; it felt like we were already a family even before I was adopted. Going through those memories….seeing Sparky and Skipper…..it made me…..homesick….." Sky sniffled, wiping her tears away before they could fall. "…..for a moment, I was afraid I wouldn't make it back to them. But I knew that, if I kept imagining them waiting for me to come home, I could find the strength to make it back and _not_ be in a casket."

Blade smiled, rolling up to Sky's side and nuzzling her. "And that's just _one_ of the things that makes you a great firefighter."

Sky smiled at Blade, leaning against his side and sighing happily. A stray tear made it out of her eye, but it was the only one that fell. "Thanks, Blade."

* * *

Day four.

Nothing. Maru went back to working nonstop, all his focus on Dusty. Sky tried to coax Dipper away from the garage to eat some lunch, but the SuperScooper refused to move. So Sky brought her friend some food, almost forcefully feeding her. Dipper thanked the girl, clearly grateful even though she was worried sick. She and Sky stayed at the garage door, Windlifter coming to join them.

The quiet of the base became shattered by a voice practically screaming, _"BLADE!"_

Sky tensed, and she whipped around to glare fiercely. "Cad." She spat the name like a cuss word.

Blade's glare reached new levels of fury as he came out to meet Cad on the runway. The white Cadillac also glared furiously. "What do you want?" Blade growled, trying to keep a lid on his anger for now.

"You got a lot of nerve, Ranger." Cad growled. "What lies did you tell that stupid TMST agent and the Secretary of the Interior, huh?"

"Lies?" Blade scoffed, his anger breaking through in an instant. "What about you? Why in Ford's name did you mess with the water supply? You're lucky that storm came through or else the entire park could've burnt down!"

"If you had been doing your jobs right, the fire wouldn't have gotten so bad!" Cad shouted. "What am I even paying you for?"

"You barely pay us at all!" Blade shouted. "Do you have any idea what you did?"

"I did your jobs, apparently." Cad huffed. "I saved the lodge."

"I don't give a damn about that pile of kindling!" Blade snarled. "You stole water from the base. My team had to go into that fire without being fully prepared. Your recklessness nearly got two of them _killed_! Do you understand that, Spinner? Your one step away from being a murderer!"

"Oh don't be so overdramatic." Cad rolled his eyes. "If some of your employees were in trouble, they did it to themselves."

Blade's anger levels broke past records. _"Excuse me?!"_

"Oh boy." Dipper gulped a little.

"If you hadn't stolen that water, my team would've gone into that fire prepared and able to take care of it!" Blade shouted, his voice carrying across the entire base. "Dusty wouldn't have needed to refill on that waterfall, and he and Skylar wouldn't have crashed! Skylar was _dying_ when we brought her in! It was a miracle we were able to save her life! And you call all of that our fault?!"

"You're the firefighters!" Cad snapped. "You're supposed to know how to handle these things! Or are you beginning to fail at your job?"

The shouting continued. Sky looked back at Maru. The tug furiously tried to focus on his work, but he looked ready to use the blowtorch he held as a weapon against Cad. Sky looked around to the rest of the base. Dipper stared in shock, having never seen such anger from her fire chief. Cabbie and the Smokejumpers gathered outside their respective hangers, glaring at the scene. Even Windlifter cast an angry stare at Cad. Patch stared worriedly, but she frowned nonetheless. Sky looked to Blade and Cad, the former looking ready to murder Cad where he stood.

"Okay." Sky sighed, a growl in her tone. "That does it." She began hobbling forward, much to the surprise of everyone else on the base. Cad and Blade didn't notice the girl coming forward until she was right in front of the Cadillac.

 _WHACK!_

" _OW!"_

Cad groaned, a good-size dent in his fender from where Sky smacked him with both of her crutches. She held the crutches like a baseball bat, glaring fiercely at Cad. She dropped the crutches and limped forward, grabbing the edge of Cad's hood where it met his windshield. Cad opened his mouth to shout at the girl, but silenced immediately at the fire in Sky's eyes. Her irises seemed to glow…..or were they actually glowing?

"You listen _very_ closely." Sky's voice was low, so low the Air Attack team had to strain to hear what she said. "I don't care about my injuries. I don't care about your stupid lodge. I don't care what your reasoning was for tampering with the water supply. I _do_ care that your actions almost got my _family_ killed. That is absolutely unforgiveable. I have every right to cause you significant bodily harm." Cad gulped a bit, unable to break his gaze away from Sky's. He felt frozen in the spot. No matter how hard he tried to pull away, something cemented him to the ground. Sky continued to speak. "I'm not going to hurt you, Cad Spinner. You're not worth my time. But I want you to get your bumper off this base _right now_ and never come back _._ Because if you don't, I'm going to put you through so much agony that you will beg me, _beg me_ , to kill you just so the pain will stop. But I am not that merciful. I won't kill you just because it hurts. I will laugh and relish in the sound of your screams."

Not once in Cad's life did he ever feel as much fear as he did right now. He desperately tried to reverse, but his back wheels didn't listen to him. Why? Why didn't his body listen to his mind's commands?

"Get the hell off this base. _NOW!"_ Sky hollered. She released Cad, and suddenly the Cadillac sped backwards. He screeched to a halt, not expecting his body to start responding to him again. He stared fearfully at Sky. Her blue-green irises were _definitely_ glowing now, and she glared at him with enough fury to scare away the devil.

"Demon child! Demon child!" He yelped, making a hairpin turn and speeding off down the path.

Sky watched him go and then straightened up, clearing her throat and smoothing out her hair. Her irises stopped glowing. She bent her uninjured leg and scooped up her crutches, leaning on them once more. Then she became aware of everyone save for Maru gathering around her. She looked sheepish. "Uh…sorry you had to see that."

"You kidding?" Blade laughed. "You are my new favorite person."

"Man, you really freaked him out!" Drip said excitedly.

"SCARY!" Avalanche agreed.

"How did you learn to do that?" Cabbie asked.

Sky scoffed. "You kidding? My dad is a Jolly Wrench. He taught me all about scare tactics."

"I think it's safe to say we won't be seeing anymore of Cad from now on." Dynamite said.

"Good riddance." Blackout huffed.

"Well done, Raven." Windlifter said. Everyone else voiced their agreements, impressed with Sky's performance.

Sky smiled warmly. _These guys are my family too. I would do anything for them._


	65. PFAR: Certified Heroes

**A/N: So this is it. This is the last chapter of my** _ **Cars**_ **and** _ **Planes**_ **series. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. (goes into a corner to cry).**

 **While I gather my composure, enjoy this finale!**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Certified Heroes

Day five.

The team was getting restless. The joy of Sky scaring the paintjob off Spinner wore off the next morning when Dusty still didn't wake up. Sky nearly broke down into tears, but Blade was quick to comfort her. Maru seemed to work casually now, tinkering with something on his workbench. He only took a break to fix Blade's hoist and reattach the helicopter's retardant tank back on him. The helicopter emerged from Maru's garage looking better than new, but Blade agreed it was a hollow victory if Dusty still didn't wake up from his own injuries.

It was on this day, the base received another visitor: the Secretary of the Interior himself.

"I heard Cad's idiocy really hit you hard." The Secretary said, speaking to Blade.

"One of my teammates is still in repairs." Blade confirmed.

The Secretary glanced to Sky, ever present at Blade's side. "Based on Cad's quite terrified description, am I to assume you are the 'demon child' that scared him so badly?"

Sky looked rather proud. "You bet."

The Secretary chuckled. "You should've seen him tearing down the path to the lodge. But back to the matter at hand. How is your remaining teammate's repairs coming along?"

"Our mechanic has been working on him almost nonstop for the past five days." Blade reported. "We're waiting for him to wake up." He kept his tone even, despite lingering emotions making his stomach twist into knots.

The Secretary nodded and sighed. "I see."

"Let's just be happy Cad's getting what's coming to him." Sky huffed. "He thinks a dirty park is so bad, wait until he gets to a jail cell."

The Secretary sighed again. "That's also why I came up here."

Blade and Sky stared at the green SUV before them. "What do you mean?" Blade demanded, his tone almost dangerous. He had to mentally remind himself who he was talking to.

The Secretary paused. "Dusty and Skylar here are training under you to become firefighters, correct?" Blade gave a crisp nod, giving a glare that told the Secretary to get on with it. "That makes them employees to the Piston Peak Air Attack. Therefore, their crash is seen as a work-related incident. Ergo, Cad does not face jail time for it."

"What?!" Blade barked, his anger rising again.

"Are you kidding me?" Sky scoffed.

"I'm not happy about it either!" The Secretary snapped, his irritated tone sounding rather foreign when it came from the usually calm vehicle. "But, legally, he can't be punished for what happened."

"He almost got them killed." Blade growled.

"And he _will_ be punished for it." The Secretary assured. "I can put him someplace where he'll be miserable enough that he'll wish he could be in jail." He smirked a bit. "I hear Death Valley National Park is looking for a new head ranger."

Avalanche suddenly began laughing, and of course the entire base could hear it. The rest of the Smokejumpers soon joined in. Cad Spinner, in Death Valley? This was the same guy who kept his office at below freezing temperature on the hottest days at the park because he hated the heat. To be in one of the hottest places in the world was enough to make the Smokejumpers laugh so hard they almost made themselves sick.

Blade still glared. "Not good enough."

The Secretary looked down. "I know. I wish I could do more. But I'm getting him out of Piston Peak and I've made Ranger Jammer the new superintendent. At least he knows what he's doing."

Blade didn't stop glaring, even as he turned and taxied off. Sky sighed. "So we still get some justice, even if it's not what we expect."

"I've heard of people getting away with a lot worse." The Secretary said. "But there was no way Spinner would get away with this one. I was _in_ that fire." He looked to Sky and smiled. "Don't worry; the base isn't in trouble for flying out at night to take care of it."

Sky blinked. "Really?"

"You all came out despite the danger and your actions saved the lives of hundreds of people." The Secretary said. "And then you and your friend go out of your way to help two more campers? It wouldn't be right to let this team be fined for doing their jobs, even if they ended up breaking the rules."

Sky smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Secretary. That means a lot, believe me."

"It's nothing really." The Secretary said. "You should be proud of yourself, Miss Riley. You did a great thing."

Sky stared off into space for a moment. "I wish people would stop saying that. Dusty and I….we came here to become firefighters, not heroes. I know so many other people who are actual heroes: my dad, who taught me so much even when I thought I didn't care; Max and Mayday, who always look out for others; Blade, for going to such lengths just for the sake of his team. Dusty and I didn't do any of that. We just did our jobs as firefighters."

The Secretary still smiled. "Miss Riley, being a hero is part of the firefighting job."

Sky looked to him, contemplating his words. It seemed like the rest of the team were heroes for what they did, but then what did it mean if she and Dusty did the same thing? What have people been saying about their actions? Harvey and Winnie took the time to call and make sure they were okay; Winnie even cried over them. What seemed like "part of the job" to Sky was seen as an act of heroism to others. She and Dusty saved lives. It didn't seem to hold much an impact at the time, but Sky began to think about what might've happened if they hadn't broken off to save Harvey and Winnie, or what could've happened if the team didn't help the campers on the main road. It would've been like a massacre, but it was stopped because they "just did their jobs."

Sky sighed, smiling softly. "Can't argue with you there, Mr. Secretary."

* * *

Sky journeyed to the garage that night, hoping to get one last look at Dusty before she went to bed. Most everyone had gone to sleep, even Dipper as she sat outside the garage, but Sky found she just couldn't rest easy. Maru sat at his workbench, completely still. Sky came around, glancing briefly at the still-unconscious Dusty, and came to Maru's side. She noticed the tug looked extremely exhausted, but rather proud of himself. She looked to the workbench, discovering a strange piece of machinery.

"Is that what you've been working on?" Sky asked.

"Working on and just finished." Maru said. He spun the gears on the item, smiling when all of them moved smoothly. "It's ready to be implanted. You wanna help?"

"Sure." Sky nodded. Maru carried the item across the room to Dusty, he and Sky going up the ramp to Dusty's nose. Sky opened up the panel to Dusty's engine, helping Maru gently lower the item into the plane…..where his gearbox used to rest.

"There we go." Maru said, securing the item in place.

Sky stared. "Maru. Is that….?"

"A better than new gearbox? You bet." Maru nodded.

Sky's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "You…you….."

"I had to build it mostly from scratch, but it should run perfectly." Maru assured. "He'll need it if you two want to get back to racing again."

Sky nearly fell over from shock, but Maru caught her and carried her back down the ramp. But the raven-haired girl caught him off-guard when she suddenly hugged him tightly. Happy tears fell from her eyes. "Thank you, Maru. Thank you so much. I promise I'll never doubt you again."

Maru chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I started doubting myself now and then. But I knew that if you were willing to hurt yourself to save Blade, then I had to bust my aft helping Dusty." He hugged the girl back, sighing. "It's all up to him now."

"You think he'll wake up soon?" Sky asked, wiping her eyes dry.

"I don't know." Maru admitted. "But I do know he _will_ wake up. He cares about you way too much to let go now."

* * *

On the morning of the sixth day, everyone finally caught a break as Maru's shout carried across the base.

"He's awake!"

Sky brightened up considerably, hobbling over towards the garage with Blade and Windlifter on either side of her. They saw Dusty slowly rolling out of the garage, looking disoriented and tired but alive and well.

"Mornin', mud dropper." Blade greeted.

"Dusty!" Sky felt overjoyed at seeing Dusty awake, and she didn't bother hiding it.

Dusty looked equally ecstatic, and he smiled broadly as Sky hobbled over and hugged him. He nuzzled her, sighing in relief. "Oh Sky. I thought you were a goner for good this time."

Sky rolled her eyes. "Please. If crashing into the Pacific Ocean didn't kill me, this certainly wasn't going to." She and Dusty laughed. "Besides, I had someone watching out for me." She looked to Blade, and Dusty followed her gaze. The plane smiled at the chief.

"Thanks." Dusty said. "Thanks for keeping your promise." Blade nodded, looking quite relieved himself to see Dusty awake. Dusty sighed tiredly. "How long have I been out, anyway?"

"Five days." Blade reported. Soon, the rest of the team gathered around, cheering at the sight of Dusty awake at last.

" _All aircraft, the superintendent has entered the base."_ Patch announced, actually sounding happy to announce the superintendent's arrival.

Dusty was confused, especially when Ol' Jammer rolled up with André the concierge, Pulaski, and his assistant following. "You had us worried, Dusty." Jammer said. "Glad to see you're out and about."

Dusty blinked. "Wait, what happened to Cad?"

Pulaski chuckled. "Sprinkler saved the lodge but not his job. Secretary of the Interior put Ranger Jammer here in charge."

"YAY!" Avalanche cheered.

"Good choice if you ask me." Sky said, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"Maru, did you tell him?" Windlifter asked.

"Tell me what?" Dusty asked nervously, knowing it had something to do with his repairs.

"I managed to fix most of you: replaced the prop, repaired the wing ribs, got your pontoons back on. I hammered out everything I could." Maru reported. "But your gearbox…" Everyone else looked down, and Sky bit her lip to keep her smile at bay.

"I know." Dusty sighed, disappointed. "Thanks for trying, Maru."

Maru smiled broadly, as did everyone else. "You're welcome! 'Cause you're fixed!"

"Wait, really?" Dusty gasped in surprise.

"You bet, buddy!" Sky laughed, hugging the plane.

"That was the hardest thing I've ever done." Maru admitted. "You've got yourself a custom-made, epicyclic, concentric reduction gearbox."

"A new gearbox?" Dusty smiled happily.

"No!" Maru scoffed. "It's better than new!"

"Crophopper, Riley, I'd say you've earned your certification." Blade announced. Dusty's and Sky's smiles grew, if it were even possible at that moment, and everyone began cheering happily. Dusty could hardly believe it as Sky congratulated him.

"We did it." Sky breathed.

Dusty's smile never faded. "You bet we did, co-pilot."

* * *

Dusty was so ecstatic over the events he couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day, even when Maru gave him a thorough checkup to make sure everything was still running right. Then he practically begged Maru to let him go on a test run with his "better than new" gearbox, and Maru finally allowed Sky to mount the racer and let them race off into the air. Dusty and Sky soared, pushing the torque into the red and smiling excitedly when they didn't hear or see the warning light go off.

"That was amazing!" Sky whooped as they returned to the garage for Maru to do another checkup. "Just wait until everyone back home hears!"

Dusty froze. "Oh my gosh! Skipper and Chug and everyone back home!"

Sky's eyes widened in realization. "Aw, man! That fire was so big it had to have made national news. I totally forgot to call them to let them know you were awake!"

"I did." Blade said, rolling up alongside the pair. "I just got off the radio with Skipper. He and everyone in Propwash Junction are looking forward to your return."

"Good." Dusty sighed in relief.

"Raven, he also said when you get home, he's grounding you for scaring him so badly." Blade noted.

Sky rolled her eyes. "Nineteen years old and he thinks he can still ground me." She blinked. "Actually, he _is_ a Jolly Wrench. I wouldn't put it past him."

Blade chuckled. "Well, unfortunately, you two aren't going anywhere for a while. Maru says he wants you two to stay another week until you can properly heal up, and he'll bolt you both to the ground if he has to."

"Bolt us to the ground, huh Maru?" Dusty laughed as he rolled into the garage.

"And duct tape you to the floor." Maru confirmed, beginning his checkup. "How's the ankle feel, Raven?"

"A lot better." Sky said. "Windlifter did some sort of magic Native American healing thing on me, so it's not as painful as before. I should be able to walk normally by the end of the week."

"Good." Maru nodded. "You're cuts and burns should heal nicely, but you might come out with some nasty scars."

"Cool!" Sky said, making Maru laugh and Blade roll his eyes.

Dusty found himself staring at Blade, particularly where the helicopter's burn used to be. He sighed. "Hey Blade? I never got a chance to apologize for…..you know…almost getting you killed….."

"No need." Blade said without hesitation. "It wasn't your fault."

"But if I hadn't been so _stupid_ —"

"Say you hadn't been." Blade said. "Say you did everything I said and yet we still ended up grounded. It wouldn't have changed anything. You're part of the team, Champ, and it's my job to look out for my team."

Dusty stared at Blade for a moment before smiling a bit. "Thanks. And thanks again for helping Sky."

"Well what kind of Soul Connect partner would I be if I let her go?" Blade cast a smirk to Sky, who shoved him teasingly. Everyone laughed lightly. It seemed like the raging inferno from almost a week ago never even happened.

And so another week passed, Sky and Dusty continuing with their healing. By the end of Maru's designated recovery period, Sky's wounds closed up nicely. Her ankle fully healed, and her cuts almost all disappeared. Her burn still required wrapping for another week, but she could finally move her torso without pain flaring up. Maru was right; even though her cuts and burn began to heal, they left scars all over her. But she didn't mind. She wore her "battle scars" proudly.

Now, it was the day before they left to return to Propwash Junction. Dusty and Sky insisted the Air Attack team join them for the Corn Fest to celebrate their certification and to give the firefighters a break from the grueling experience. Blade finally agreed, especially when Maru pointed out that Jammer was still keeping the park closed so no fires would be starting again.

Dusty received a gift from Maru, at Blade's request: a new paintjob, red and black on white to match Mayday and Blade. Dusty wore the new scheme proudly, beaming at his mentor. Blade rolled his eyes, but he felt prideful himself. Maru even repainted the Jolly Wrench insignia back onto Dusty's nose. Sky also received a sort of new paintjob herself: a jacket and T-shirt, with a red bandana to replace her old one. The jacket and T-shirt were both colored red with black sleeves. The insignias for the Jolly Wrenches, Piston Peak Air Attack, and Propwash Junction Fire Team graced the back of the jacket and the front of the T-shirt, resting over Sky's heart. Sky pulled on the T-shirt, smiling proudly. Her sleeves weren't long enough to cover her psych-man birthmark, but she didn't mind anymore.

"There." Blade nodded in satisfaction. "Now at least you'll all match."

Sky smirked. "Why Blade, I didn't know you sew."

"I don't." Blade said. "Maru does."

Maru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." He smiled, handing Sky the modified fire extinguisher he made for her. "You hold onto this. You're a true firefighter now, and you're gonna need it."

Sky smiled. "Thanks, Maru." She looked to Dusty, noting how they really did match now. "Just wait until everyone back home sees us!"

* * *

Finally, _finally_ , Dusty and Sky made it back home to Propwash Junction. The Piston Peak firefighters flew in behind them, the Smokejumpers riding in Cabbie per the usual. Even Maru, Pulaski, and his assistant made the trip. Harvey and Winnie arrived a few days ago, looking overjoyed to see Dusty and Sky alive and well. Ryker had already arrived, allowing the aircraft to land at the airport. The TMST agent planned to check their progress and make the final decision at the beginning of the festival.

Sky waved when she spotted Skipper, Sparky, Mayday, Chug, and Dottie out on the runway. The second Dusty's tires hit the runway, Sky unhooked herself from the plane and leaped off him. She sprinted towards her family, tackling Skipper in a tight hug. The Corsair nuzzled her lovingly, sighing.

"I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again." Skipper sighed.

Sky sighed too. "I was afraid too. But I'm here and I did it. Dusty and I became firefighters."

"Certainly looks like it." Mayday said as he approached.

"Whoa, Mayday!" Sky gasped happily. "I barely recognize you!" Indeed, Dottie's modifications really paid off. Mayday didn't even wear his glasses, and Sky guessed he mostly likely didn't need them anymore.

"I hardly recognize _you_ , Miss Skylar Amelia Riley." Mayday chuckled. "Max would be awfully proud of you."

Sky smiled warmly, feeling pride well up inside her. "Thanks, Mayday. And guess what: I found my Soul Connect partner!"

"I should've known you'd start bragging about that." Blade smirked as he and the rest of the Air Attack team came up. "It's good to see you again, Mayday."

"Glad you and the team could make it." Mayday greeted his old friend.

"No way!" Sparky gasped. "Sky, you Soul Connect with a fire chief?"

"I know, right?" Sky laughed. "Pretty cool."

"It'll be cooler when we can officially reopen the airport." Dottie noted.

"No word yet, but I think that TMST guy is looking pretty happy!" Chug noted excitedly.

"We still have some time before he makes his final decision." Dusty said. "So let's just make sure the festival's ready to go. Airport or no airport, the show must go on." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

A few hours passed. The time of the aerial performance grew closer. Dusty and Sky received a second surprise from the Air Attack team: an offer to perform for the Propwash residents. Not only did the pair agree, they insisted their friends perform alongside them. Sky hurried home, returning with Max's old firefighting helmet under one arm. She determined she would wear the helmet to honor Max, seeing how she always kept him in her thoughts as she trained. It seemed the late firefighter always watched out for her, and she couldn't have been more grateful. Leadbottom even approached the girl and apologized for doubting her, congratulating Sky and Dusty on getting certified.

Finally, Ryker called everyone together and to make the announcement. Dusty, Sky, and Mayday stood beside him, the Piston Peak team standing by mostly for moral support. When Ryker announced the Propwash Junction Airport was recertified and open for operation once more, everyone cheered. Before long, it was time to hit the festival and prepare for the air show.

"Dusty, Sky, we're all so proud of you two." Mayday said as he and his new firefighters hung back.

"Thanks, Mayday." Dusty said gratefully.

"It wasn't easy." Sky admitted. "But I'm glad we did it."

Mayday looked like he tried really hard to not choke up. "To do what you did….it takes a special kind of plane. And no small amount of bravery on your part, Skylar."

Dusty and Sky exchanged smiles, proud of themselves. _We did it._

Everyone in the bleachers set up near the runway watched excitedly as they waited for the show to start.

" _Okay, Chug."_ Sky said over the fuel truck's radio. _"We're good to go!"_

Chug nodded. "Ladies and gentleplanes, turn your attention to the skies for today's aerial presentation. The Propwash Junction Corn Festival is proud to present the Piston Peak Air Attack team and our very own world champion racers and firefighters Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Riley!"

The Smokejumpers leaped out of Cabbie, leaving trails of water in their wake before deploying their chutes and beginning to float down towards the ground. Dusty and Sky led the way as they, Blade, Windlifter, and Dipper came up towards the runway, where several ramps waited. Sky and Blade exchanged smiles before the aircraft split up. Dipper, Blade, and Windlifter pulled ahead first, dropping water from their tanks to the amazement of the crowd. Once the Smokejumpers reached their dropping points, they slid down the half pipes and ramps and began performing tricks alongside each other. Sky half-expected them to crash into one another, but it seemed all their practice out on the base paid off as the ground team performed gracefully and skillfully. Dusty and Sky came up last, the two speeding along and Dusty pushing his engine deep into the red. He smiled when the alarm on his panel remained silent, and he looked to see his friends smiling proudly at him. Sky patted the plane's side, preparing herself.

"Ready, Dust Storm?" Sky called.

"Got for it, Soarin' Sky!" Dusty laughed. Sky nodded, unhooking her harness from the handlebar. She held on tightly as Dusty shot off, turning up and looping around in the air. At the top of his loop, Sky pulled her feet from the stirrups and pressed them to Dusty's back, pushing off him and diving towards the ground. Skipper stared a little nervously, hoping his daughter knew what she was doing. Luckily, Sky warned Blade about this, and the AgustaWestland was quick to swoop in with hoist out and ready. He threw the hook, and Sky caught it before spinning around and planting her foot in the cable. She clipped the hook onto the cable and allowed the loop to tighten around her foot, letting her stand on the hoist cable. She looked down and saw her Soul Connect thread, and she followed the line up to smile warmly at Blade. The fire chief smiled back, reeling in the girl so she could climb into his hoist hatch.

 _Good move, partner._ Sky thought, patting Blade's side. She and Blade watched as the team banked around to pass them, Dusty pulling up last and dropping his load of water. Sky beamed with pride.

Nick and Max watched from the roof of the bleachers, the two ghosts smiling. "Those two are gonna do great things." Nick said.

"You better believe it." Max agreed.

THE END

* * *

 **A/N: This was a true pleasure to write and it was an even greater pleasure seeing your reviews. I'm a little backed up on stories to finish, so I need to get working on those. Next up is a Digimon fanfic I started a while back. Since my other two projects involve adapting characters to episodes, I do want to take some time now and then to work on original one-shots for my** _ **Into the Psyche**_ **characters.**

 **So keep an eye out for my next installment titled** _ **Psyche Stories**_ **, featuring the life and times of Harley Hudson and Skylar Amelia Riley.**

 **TTFN! Ta ta for now!**


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